Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-06

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 5.0)

The diagram demonstrates how plastic bottles are recycled. It starts with a consumer throwing a plastic bottle to trash can. The truck picks up all such materials and takes them to recycling center where these materials are sorted and compressed into blocks. These blocks are further crushed and washed to produce plastic pallets in the later stage. These pallets are then put on heat to form raw material. These raw materials are used to make these end products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response falls well below the minimum word count of 150 words, containing only 78 words. Consequently, the task is addressed only minimally. While the student attempts to summarise the overall process of recycling plastic bottles from consumer disposal to final products, the summary is extremely brief and lacks adequate detail. Important steps shown in the diagram, such as sorting at the recycling centre, compressing, crushing, washing, and producing pellets, are mentioned only in passing without sufficient extension or supporting information. To improve Task Achievement, the writer must ensure the response meets the length requirement and provides a much more thorough, detailed account of every stage depicted in the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a basic level of organisation, using a chronological sequence to follow the steps of the diagram from the consumer throwing away the bottle to the creation of end products. Basic cohesive devices like 'It starts with', 'These blocks', and 'These pallets are then' are employed to link sentences. However, because the entire text is only one short paragraph, there is no paragraphing structure, and the overall progression is limited by the brevity of the response. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to expand the text into distinct, logically structured paragraphs and use a wider, more natural variety of cohesive devices to guide the reader smoothly through the various stages of the process.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic description of the diagram, featuring relevant terms such as 'consumer', 'recycling center', 'sorted', 'compressed', 'crushed', 'washed', and 'raw material'. However, there are minor lexical and spelling inaccuracies, such as 'pallets' instead of 'pellets', and the phrasing is generally simple and repetitive. The range of vocabulary is limited and lacks the less common lexical items required for higher bands. To improve, the student should incorporate a broader range of precise vocabulary and synonyms related to manufacturing and recycling processes, while paying careful attention to spelling and word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and basic complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over present tense structures used for describing processes. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors, particularly with missing articles, such as 'throwing a plastic bottle to trash can' (missing 'the' and a preposition error) and 'takes them to recycling center' (missing 'a'). Prepositional usage and article control need strengthening. While communication is not severely hindered, the limited range of structures and persistent minor errors keep the grammar score at this level. Incorporating a wider variety of complex grammatical structures accurately would elevate this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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