Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-24
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 illustrstes the process of recycling the plastics bottles in everdylife. Initially the very first step of the process f this step starts after the consumer put a plastic bottle into bean then the garbage van collect the whole garbage bean and put the all contenets to special unit where the human sort the garbage nto categories here they sort out the glass m lastc and paper, after that the whole collected pltic dump is compressred into huge block this process is benefical b/c it spare the space, further such block is tranfered to be utilized in machinenry part where the whole block is crushed down and the fragments got washed with effective solution to be cleaned effectively then it is further trasfered into platic pellet producing machine where it got a standarized shae and size than those pellets are heated up and form like blocks and shaped material called raw material, then this raw material transfered into industries where they utilize such plastic to make consumer friendly products and tranfered into markets. Consumer utilize such product and suc proess go to and forth.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student covers all the main stages of the recycling process shown in the diagram, beginning with disposal by the consumer and ending with the production of end products. However, the response suffers from a lack of paragraphing and run-on sentences that make it difficult to follow the progression of ideas as an integrated whole. While the key steps such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, and pellet production are mentioned, the explanation tends to read like a single breathless list rather than a structured summary. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to select and group information logically into distinct phases, providing a clear overview at the beginning.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The text is written as one single paragraph without any breaks, which severely impacts coherence. Cohesive devices are either missing or heavily overused and repetitive, relying almost entirely on additive words like 'then', 'after that', and 'further'. There is a complete lack of paragraphing to guide the reader through the introduction, body stages, and conclusion. While chronological links are attempted, the mechanical repetition of basic connectors creates a run-on effect, making the overall arrangement difficult to navigate.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is quite basic and repetitive ('plastic', 'block', 'process', 'garbage'). There are numerous spelling errors throughout the text, including 'illustrstes', 'everdylife', 'bean', 'contenets', 'nto', 'pltic', 'compressred', 'benefical', 'tranfered', 'machinenry', 'platic', 'shae', and 'suc'. Less common lexical items are attempted ('standardized', 'consumer friendly'), but word choice and collocation are frequently awkward or inaccurate, such as 'garbage van collect the whole garbage bean'. The range is minimally adequate for the task, but vocabulary errors occasionally cause strain for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
The response consists almost entirely of a single extremely long, run-on sentence joined by coordinating conjunctions and commas. There is a total absence of proper punctuation (periods and capital letters) after the opening sentence. Grammatical accuracy is very low due to frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('the consumer put', 'van collect', 'human sort'), missing articles ('into bean', 'to special unit'), and incorrect verb forms ('got washed', 'got a standarized shae'). Complex structures are rarely attempted accurately, and the high frequency of basic grammatical errors impedes comprehension.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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