Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-08

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 explain that how water bottles have been recycled.

This process contain 10 steps.

firstly, empty water bottles thrown into the trash bins. After that,these empty water bottles are transported and collected by specific vehicles. Then the useful water bottles are seperated from garbage. Then these water bottles are compressed heavily and coverted into a compressed box. After that the crashing process starts and the compressed boxes crashed through crashing machine. After crashing the final product is in the form of small pieces and these pieces washed out in water. Then the small pieces send into the machine to produce plastic pallets. After that, the plastic pallets are heated to form raw material.Then the raw material is converted into the thin plates. After that, these thin plates use to reproduce water bottles finally,the water bottles transported to the marked.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the general subject and describe several stages in sequence, including collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing and pellet production. However, the response gives no clear overview of the complete cycle and contains important inaccuracies: the diagram shows plastic bottles, not specifically water bottles; it does not show the raw material being made into thin plates or bottles being transported to a market. It also omits the range of end products, such as containers, clothing and pencils. The response is only 140 words, below the required 150, so the process is not sufficiently developed. To improve, add an accurate overview and describe the final stages as shown, without inventing steps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The stages are presented in a broadly chronological order, and sequencing expressions such as “After that” and “Then” help the reader follow the process. However, these links are repeated so often that the account feels mechanical, and the response is written as one continuous paragraph rather than being organised into a clear introduction, overview and process details. Some transitions also connect inaccurate or unsupported information, particularly the move from raw material to “thin plates” and then to bottles. Use paragraphing to distinguish the overall cycle from its stages, vary linking language, and make each transition reflect the diagram’s actual sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “transported,” “compressed,” “crashing machine,” “raw material” and “plastic pallets,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the vocabulary is limited and several choices are inaccurate or imprecise: “pallets” should be “pellets,” “crashing” should be “crushing,” and “trash bins” does not accurately describe the recycling bin shown. Repetition of “water bottles,” “small pieces” and “After that” also restricts range. Choose precise terms from the diagram, such as “plastic bottles,” “recycling bin,” “plastic flakes” and “end products,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response mainly uses simple statements and basic sequencing clauses, with little variety in sentence structure. Frequent errors affect accuracy, including “The diagram explain,” “This process contain,” and “the compressed boxes crashed,” where subject–verb agreement or verb forms are incorrect. Articles and sentence boundaries are also problematic: “firstly” begins without a capital letter, and “finally,the water bottles” lacks appropriate spacing and punctuation. These errors sometimes make the process harder to follow, although the general sequence remains understandable. Practise accurate present-simple passive forms for process descriptions—for example, “bottles are collected” and “the plastic is crushed”—and use full stops to separate stages.

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