Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-12

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 shows the very interesting and necessary process of the recycling plastic bottels. It is very vital to recycle the plastic.

Overall,recycling of palstic is very significant because plastic never get dissolve in environment plastic have life of thousand years this is the reason we should have to recycle it

To begin with, people use the plastic bottel and throw in dustbin. After that a big garbage vehicle comes and collect the garbage and delivery it into the recycling center . In recycling center workers sort the garbage and put plastic products(bottels) in a isolated container. Then they put the plastic product in a pressure machine which compress and create a block of the plastic products after that plastic block was inserted in a crusing machine this machine creates a small small pellets of the block and then pellets are got heat to create a proper raw material after that recycling center sells the raw material to the plastic companys and they create the plastic products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You describe the main sequence from disposal and collection through sorting, compressing, crushing, heating and making new products, so the response is relevant and includes several key stages. However, the account is only partial: it does not mention washing, and it says crushing produces pellets, whereas the diagram shows washing before pellets are produced. The sorting stage is also described as putting bottles in an isolated container, rather than separating recyclable items from rejected material. The overview focuses on why recycling matters and plastic’s persistence in the environment, which is not shown in the diagram; instead, identify the process as a cycle that turns used bottles into raw material and new products, which can re-enter the cycle.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, and the process is generally presented in chronological order. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with” and “After that” help the reader follow the stages. However, the second paragraph gives background opinion rather than an overview of the diagram, weakening the overall progression. The long final paragraph also strings many stages together with repeated “after that,” and punctuation does not clearly separate the steps. This makes relationships between stages less clear, particularly around crushing, washing and pellet production. Group the description into clear phases and use a wider range of accurate links, such as “next,” “following this” and “finally,” while keeping the overview focused on the cycle.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “recycling center,” “compress,” “raw material” and “plastic products,” which allows the reader to understand the general topic. However, the range is limited and several choices or spellings are inaccurate, sometimes making the process less precise: “bottels,” “palstic,” “crusing,” and “companys” are misspelled, while “garbage” is repeated where “bottles” or “plastic waste” would be clearer. Phrases such as “small small pellets” and “proper raw material” are also imprecise or unnatural. Build a more accurate process vocabulary and check spelling; use specific terms for sorting, washing, pellet production and finished goods rather than repeating general words such as “plastic product.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect several stages in longer sentences, but the response relies heavily on simple clauses joined together, and complex sentences are often difficult to control. Errors in agreement and verb forms appear in phrases such as “plastic never get dissolve” and “a big garbage vehicle comes and collect.” Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “throw in dustbin” and the extended final sentence beginning “Then they put the plastic product…” These patterns sometimes make the sequence harder to follow. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes, including passive forms such as “the bottles are sorted” and “the pellets are heated.” Use full stops to separate stages and check subject–verb agreement and articles.

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