Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-21
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The diagram below shows the process for recycling plastic bottles.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
How plastic bottles are recycled
Student answer (Band 5.0)
The diagram illustrates the process of recycling plastic bottles.
Overall, there are eight different stages of process, beginning with people putting the bottles into the recycling bins and lastly the raw material are used to manufacture the end product.
Firstly, people put the used bottles into the recycle bins. Truck collected waste and go from the recycling centre. these waste is seprated into two different boxes and apply the sorting process. After sorting, bottles are compressing into blocks. Next, blocks are crushing in the two rotating grinder and producing small plastic pellets and it is washing into water drum and then drying the pellets. Heating the plastic pellets to form raw material through the machine. Next stage, Raw material shaping the blocks and packing to the wooden rack for the further processing. Lastly, the raw material are used to manufacture the different product such as plastic bottles, plastic boxes and pencils.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully covers all the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, starting from domestic disposal and collection up to the final manufacturing of end products. An overview is attempted in the second sentence, noting the start and end of the loop, although it incorrectly states there are eight stages instead of nine. The key features, such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pelletising, and heating, are all mentioned in sequence. However, some descriptions are slightly confused or conflated, such as stating that blocks are 'crushing in the two rotating grinder' and then washing and drying. Despite minor inaccuracies in the sequence and mechanical details, the core information of the diagram is adequately reported, meeting the basic requirements for Task Achievement at this level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a clear overall progression that follows the chronological and cyclical flow of the diagram. Cohesive devices and sequence markers like 'Firstly', 'After sorting', 'Next', and 'Lastly' are used to guide the reader through the stages. However, the paragraphing is extremely weak, as the entire body of the response is crammed into a single block after the brief introduction. Furthermore, referencing and sentence-to-sentence connections are sometimes faulty, as seen in abrupt transitions like 'Truck collected waste and go from the recycling centre. these waste is seprated...' These issues place the response firmly in Band 5 for this criterion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, including words such as 'recycling', 'collection', 'sorting', 'compressing', 'crushing', and 'pellets'. However, there are frequent word-formation and lexical errors, such as 'compressing' instead of 'compressed', 'crushing' instead of 'crushed', and 'seprated' (spelling error). The control of less common vocabulary is weak, and awkward phrasings like 'Raw material shaping the blocks' demonstrate limited flexibility. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main steps of the process, the persistent inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tense, voice, and agreement, such as 'Truck collected waste and go' (tense shift), 'these waste is seprated' (singular/plural agreement), and 'bottles are compressing' (active/passive confusion). Punctuation is also problematic, particularly with run-on sentences and lowercase beginnings following periods, as seen in 'centre. these waste...'. Simple structures tend to be more accurate, but attempts at modifying clauses or passives often result in faulty grammar. These frequent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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