Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30

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 assigned process delineates information regarding that the diagram show the process of recycling plastic bottles by selecting and reporting the main features make comparisons where relevent.

overall it is evident that the bottles where recycled and make a new thing for use people. firstly collected the bottle and total nine stages to recycle the bottles.

firstly, put the plastic botles in garbage. all bottles are collected in big truck as third step the bottles where sorting in recycling centre. 4 step going to the compressing machine and come into a block. these block sent intocrushing machine ome into a small partical .

the come into a small partical.these partical were washing a big container and clearly wash sixth stage producing plastic pellets ina big machine and sevent stage heating pellets to form raw material in small surface. 8 step raw material were make it last 9 step producing and products and make it t-shirt and pencil,bottles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the process of recycling plastic bottles shown in the diagram, noting that there are nine stages and mentioning key actions such as collecting, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pelletising, and producing end products. However, the response fails to clearly present a well-structured overview, merely copying parts of the prompt wording in the introduction. Furthermore, the description of several stages is confused, fragmented, and lacks adequate detail. While the general sequence is outlined, the underdeveloped overview and vague reporting of the intermediate stages mean the task is only partially addressed, aligning with a band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response lacks clear paragraphing, presenting most of the text as a single, poorly structured block of writing. Although some sequencing words like 'firstly' and 'last' are used to indicate chronological progression, cohesive devices are generally inadequate, repetitive, and mechanically applied (e.g., repeating 'the come into a small partical'). There is no clear overall progression or logical grouping of the stages in the process, which makes the text difficult to follow and results in a band 4 score for this criterion.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is extremely basic, repetitive, and restricted to simple terms directly lifted from the diagram or prompt, such as 'bottles', 'recycling', 'machine', and 'plastic'. There are frequent word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'make a new thing for use people' and 'raw material were make it'. Less common lexical items are either absent or used inaccurately (e.g., 'partical' for particles). The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for communication, warranting a band 4.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The student demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences with frequent structural errors. There are numerous basic grammatical failures throughout the response, including missing subjects, incorrect verb tenses, and severe subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'the bottles where sorting', 'these block sent intocrushing machine ome into a small partical'). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are poorly controlled, with run-on sentences and fragments. These frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader and reflect band 4 descriptors.

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