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 diagam depicts the process of recycling the plastic bottles, how plast bottles are recycle through different processes and use it again for different kind of things.
Overall the process go through nine different stages to complete the whole process from garbage to use it again. it is working through a proper chain.
The process initiate from a person use a plastic bottle and then throw it in basket then truck collect the bottles from various baskits and move into a recycling center where a person sort the bottles into a machine where compressing the bottles into blocks for handling easily then the put into a crushing machine where bottle crushed into small pieces and then put into water tub where washing process is started after wash produce plastic pallets and then make raw material from pallets and then pack the raw material into the bags and in the final stage again bottles made from raw material and then again use it and throw into a basket.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover all stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, starting from disposal by a consumer up to the production of end products and recycling back into the loop. However, the explanation lacks precise selection of key features and relies heavily on a single, overly long run-on sentence for the main body. The description follows the nine stages sequentially, but it is somewhat informal and lacks a clear overview of the overall cyclical nature of the process beyond a brief, fragmented second sentence. While the main steps from sorting and crushing to pellet production are mentioned, the development is basic and lacks academic precision, aligning closely with a Band 5 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The response suffers from poor paragraphing and severely deficient punctuation. The text is divided into three blocks, with the entire body of the process written as one massive, comma-spliced run-on sentence: 'The process initiate from a person use a plastic bottle...'. Cohesive devices are largely absent or repetitive, relying almost exclusively on coordinating conjunctions like 'and then'. There is no clear logistical progression marked by appropriate transition words or discourse markers. Although the overall linear sequence is traceable from start to finish, the mechanical and faulty cohesion restricts the text to Band 4.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic, repetitive, and heavily relies on words from the prompt and diagram labels, such as 'plastic bottle', 'recycling', 'process', and 'crushing'. There are frequent word-formation errors and awkward collocations, such as 'the process initiate' instead of 'initiates', 'a person use a plastic bottle', and 'produce plastic pallets' instead of 'pellets'. The range of vocabulary is narrow and barely adequate to convey the basic steps of the diagram, resulting in a score of 4.5, rounded to 5.0 based on positive marking for successfully communicating the steps despite the lexical limitations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text contains severe run-on sentences and massive comma splices, particularly in the lengthy third paragraph. There are numerous tense and agreement errors, such as 'the diagam depicts', 'plast bottles are recycle', 'the process go', and 'a person use'. Complex sentence structures are attempted but are consistently faulty, lacking proper subordination and punctuation. Errors are frequent and often cause strain for the reader, fitting the Band 4 descriptors well.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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