Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The diagram explain the way, How plastic bottles are recycled.

Overall, there are nine stages in the process, beginning how plastic bottles are recycled from trash to producing a product.

To the began, first off all collect the plastic bottles from the bin and transport to the recycling centre.

Than sorting the plastic bottles in the correct box.

Compressing plastic bottles into blocks. Next add the crushing machine. After that, washing the plastic crush.

At the subsequent stage, producing plastic pellets from crush plastic. Heating pellets to from raw material to produced a raw material. In the last stage producing and products what u want like shirts, again plastic bottles, pen, and parcel box for the food

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as having nine stages and include several key steps, such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. You also mention examples of end products, so the response is relevant to the diagram. However, the account is only partial: it does not clearly explain that bottles are put in a recycling bin, collected by truck, or that the finished products feed back into the cycle. The overview, “beginning how plastic bottles are recycled from trash to producing a product,” is unclear and does not summarise the circular nature of the process. The response is also 33 words below the required minimum, leaving important stages and relationships underdeveloped. Add a clear overview and describe the full loop.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some attempt to present the stages in sequence, using markers such as “first,” “Next,” “After that,” and “At the subsequent stage.” This helps the reader recognise the general order of events. However, the response is broken into short, fragmentary statements, and the progression is not consistently clear. For example, “Compressing plastic bottles into blocks. Next add the crushing machine” does not form a connected explanation, while the final sentence combines heating, raw material and end products without clear links. The paragraphing also does little to organise the process into an introduction, overview and stages. Use complete sentences and group the stages into a logical sequence, with linking phrases that show how each stage leads to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “sorting,” “blocks,” “crushing machine,” “plastic pellets” and “raw material.” These terms show an attempt to describe the diagram rather than relying only on general language. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or forms make the meaning unclear: “from crush plastic,” “to from raw material,” and “products what u want.” The informal “u” is unsuitable for an IELTS report, and “parcel box for the food” does not accurately name the food containers shown. Aim for precise process language and accurate product names. For example, describe plastic being crushed into pieces, pellets being heated, and the material being made into containers, clothing and other products.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few different sentence openings and sequencing structures, but most of the writing relies on short, incomplete clauses rather than controlled full sentences. Errors are frequent, as in “The diagram explain,” “To the began,” and “Than sorting the plastic bottles,” and several stages lack a finite verb altogether, such as “Compressing plastic bottles into blocks.” The final sentence also has unclear structure, making the relationship between the raw material and the products difficult to follow. These problems sometimes impede understanding. Practise forming complete present-simple sentences with a clear subject and verb, for example, “The bottles are sorted at the recycling centre” and “The pellets are heated to produce raw material.” Check agreement, verb forms and sentence boundaries.

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