Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-09

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 process chart gives information about how recycling plactic bottels .

By giving a genral overviews, it is crystal clear that , the whole process consists of nine steps , all steps are is very importanrt if the any one step are missed ,the whole process are disturbed.

By having a cursory glance , it is vivid that , firstly picked the plastic bootle in dustbin and transpotted the recycling center, then are sorting in boxes and compressing into blocks, furthermore than crushed in pieces and acpect the wasting. Product are made the plastic pellets.

Moving futher ahead it is lucid that pelletes are heating from the raw metrial , then raw metrial are packed and thick the one side ,morever the the product made the raw metrial . then the product are created again these recycled

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the diagram as a recycling process and mention several central stages, including sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and making end products. However, the account is incomplete and some details are unclear or inaccurate: “picked the plastic bottle in dustbin” does not clearly describe placing bottles in a recycling bin, and the later stages are not explained in the correct, clear sequence. The overview says there are nine steps, but the claim that every step is essential is not a feature shown by the diagram. The response also does not meet the required minimum of 150 words, which limits how fully you can report the process. Describe the collection and sorting stages, then explain how the material becomes new products and returns to the cycle.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing stages. Sequencing expressions such as “firstly” and “Moving further ahead” show an attempt to guide the reader through the process. However, progression is difficult to follow because several stages are compressed into long, loosely connected sentences, and links such as “furthermore than” and “moreover” do not clearly express the relationships between steps. The final sentence also ends without completing the explanation of the loop. Use one clear sentence for each group of stages, connect them with accurate sequence markers such as “next” and “after this,” and finish by stating that the products can be recycled again.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You attempt some process-related vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing,” “blocks,” “crushed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which helps identify the main subject. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors or inaccurate word choices make the description harder to understand, for example “plactic bottels,” “acpect the wasting,” and “thick the one side.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “the product made the raw metrial.” Use the labels in the diagram accurately and choose precise verbs for each stage, such as “collect,” “wash,” “heat,” and “manufacture.” Proofreading spelling and checking that each word fits its context would make the process much clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to combine stages using clauses and sequencing phrases, but sentence structures are very limited and errors occur frequently. For example, “the whole process consists of nine steps” is followed by “all steps are is very important,” which has incorrect verb forms and agreement. In “firstly picked the plastic bottle … and transported,” the sentence lacks a clear subject, while “pellets are heating” does not correctly express the passive process. Articles, plurals and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent. Practise writing complete passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The bottles are sorted and then compressed into blocks.” Use a consistent present simple passive form and check that every sentence has a subject and a correctly formed verb.

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

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