Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-28
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 4.0)
how recyclying work
in this we are seeing that how garbage has been recycling , firslty we have to put up it in dustbins in our locality after that the truck came for taking the garbage for recyling , after which garbage has been to distinguish between basis of biodegradable and non biodegradable , non biodegradable waste has been putted up into block , then crushing after that blocks has been crushed after providing plastic pellets , heating pettels to form raw material , then the raw material used to make plastic products and other neccessary things , it is very helpful method for using the wasted garbage , one of the industry use this method to earn money
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, containing only 119 words. Consequently, this heavily impacts Task Achievement. Content-wise, the student attempts to describe the nine-stage process of recycling plastic bottles, mentioning collection, sorting, crushing, washing, pellet production, and final product manufacturing. However, the description is extremely brief and relies on a single continuous, run-on sentence rather than a well-structured summary. Key stages such as heating pellets to form raw material are rushed or omitted in coherent detail. Due to the severe under-length and lack of full development, the score is capped at Band 4.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The text lacks proper paragraphing entirely, written as one long, fragmented sentence structure joined by commas rather than full stops. There are no clear organizational boundaries or introduction and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused (e.g., 'in this we are seeing that', 'firslty', 'after that'). The overall progression of ideas is hindered by poor punctuation, capitalization errors, and a lack of cohesive control, restricting the response to Band 4.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.0
Vocabulary is basic and repetitive, utilizing terms directly from the prompt or overly simplistic language such as 'garbage', 'dustbins', 'big', and 'things'. There are several spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'recyclying', 'firslty', 'recyling', 'distinguish' (used incorrectly for sorting), 'putted up', and 'pettels'. The range of vocabulary is severely limited and inadequate for an academic task, resulting in a Band 4.0 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
Grammatical control is very weak. The entire response consists of run-on clauses linked incorrectly with commas, demonstrating no command of complex sentence structures or proper punctuation. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'how garbage has been recycling' (tense and voice error), 'the truck came for taking' (awkward prepositional phrase), and 'after providing plastic pellets' (misuse of participle). Basic rules of capitalization and sentence boundary demarcation are ignored, reflecting Band 4.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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