Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-22

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 4.5)

The diagram below illustrates the flow of recycling plastic bottles.

overall it is evident that ,plastic waste has highly increased in our nation whereas the recycle process should be done .

Firstly the waste plastic is thrown into bin by individuals where it have beenn collected by the goverments vechile from the bins ,later on it have to be taken to the warehouse to start the process where that process is known as the Sorting additionally the sorting is done for the collection of the plastic bottles together,Futhermore the collected plastic is compressed into the cubic blocks to start the next processing.

After the compression process they use to perform the crushing, Crushing is done for making large bottles to tinny pices where it have washed in the liquid after this producing plastic pellets is done by using the machine to get the raw materials meanwhile the heating pellets to form raw materials by using the raw materials machine later from that the producing of the products is done materilas like t-shirts,plastic bags,bottles etc where the process is same of the go flow for the recycling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the process diagram for recycling plastic bottles, covering most of the main stages from throwing the waste into a bin to producing end products. However, the overview is confused by irrelevant outside commentary ('plastic waste has highly increased in our nation whereas the recycle process should be done'), which is not part of the diagram. Furthermore, the description of the steps lacks clear grouping and organisation, mixing up details and misrepresenting some sequential flow aspects. While key stages such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pelletising, and manufacturing are mentioned, the lack of a proper overarching summary and underdeveloped reporting cap this criterion at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response suffers from severe issues with paragraphing and cohesion, as it is written in just two massive, run-on blocks of text. There is a complete lack of proper full stops or capitalisation to demarcate sentences clearly, resulting in a single continuous paragraph for the body and a fragmented introduction. Cohesive devices are either missing, repetitive, or misused ('overall it is evident that', 'Futhermore', 'meanwhile'), and referencing pronouns like 'they' lack clear antecedents. Although a chronological progression is attempted, the faulty punctuation and absence of logical segmentation make the overall progression difficult to follow, corresponding to a Band 4.0 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is quite basic and repetitive, with frequent misspellings and word-form errors (e.g., 'heve beenn', 'vechile', 'tinny', 'pices', 'materilas'). While the student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary related to the diagram ('sorting', 'compressed', 'crushing', 'washing', 'pellets', 'raw material'), lexical control is weak. Word choices are frequently awkward or unidiomatic, such as 'making large bottles to tinny pices where it have washed in the liquid'. The range of vocabulary is limited and restricts clear communication, placing this response firmly in the Band 4.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical range and accuracy are major weaknesses in this response. The text consists largely of poorly connected clauses strung together with commas and coordinating conjunctions, failing to form well-structured complex sentences reliably. There are constant errors in subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, and voice (e.g., 'waste plastic is thrown into bin by individuals where it have beenn collected', 'they use to perform the crushing'). Punctuation is practically non-existent in terms of sentence boundaries, with comma splices dominating the entire text. These frequent errors cause significant strain for the reader and prevent the text from achieving a Band 5.0.

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