Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-14

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)

INTRODUCTION:

This process diagram shows some procedure of recycling plastic bottles.

Overview

Overall, there are nine stages, begining with the throw bottles into public bins and ending on produce and create products.

Body paragraph 1

Firstly, people put the bottle in to garbage bins after this governement departmant came here and pick some plastic bottles under the dust bins. Next compressing these plastic bottles into blocks. Similarly crushing the plastic through the cutter machineand also washing these peaces of plastic.

Body paragraph 2

Additionally, these plastic pieces fell in the machine and coverts into tiny particles. by continously this procedure and heating some fine particles and converts into form of raw material. second last procedure was dry the raw material and converts in little solid shapes. At the last of this process was creating some products like shirts, pencils, plastic box, hand bags and again create new bottles through the raw material.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as recycling plastic bottles and give a broad overview of its beginning and end, which addresses the central topic. You also include several relevant stages, such as compression, crushing, washing, heating and making products. However, important details are inaccurate or unclear: the collection vehicle is described as a government department, sorting at the recycling centre is omitted, and the account does not clearly explain that the plastic is made into pellets before being heated. The claim that the raw material is dried into “little solid shapes” is not supported by the diagram. To strengthen the response, report the stages in their exact order and describe the sorting and final return loop accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable introduction, overview and two body paragraphs, and it generally moves from collection towards the production of new items. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Next,” “Additionally” and “At the last” help signal progression. However, the sequence is not consistently clear: compression is placed before the collection and sorting stages are fully explained, and the final sentence combines end products with the return to bottle production without clearly showing the loop. Some transitions are mechanical or awkward, while sentence boundaries are unclear in places, for example “by continously this procedure…” A clearer paragraph plan following the diagram stage by stage, with precise links between each step, would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “compressing,” “crushing,” “heating,” “raw material” and “products,” so the topic is usually recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or imprecise, which sometimes makes the process difficult to follow. “Garbage bins” does not convey the recycling bins shown, “cutter machine” is not the diagram’s description of the crushing equipment, and “tiny particles” does not accurately identify the plastic pellets. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “governement,” “peaces” and “converts.” Build a more precise set of process terms and check spelling and collocations so that each stage is described clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, and the use of sequencing clauses shows an effort to connect stages. However, control is weak: many sentences contain errors in verb forms, agreement, articles or sentence construction, and these sometimes make relationships between stages unclear. For example, “there are nine stages, begining with the throw bottles” lacks a correctly formed participial phrase, while “these plastic pieces fell in the machine and coverts” shifts tense and has an incorrect verb form. “At the last of this process was creating” is also an incomplete construction. Use present simple consistently for a process, form complete clauses, and check subject–verb agreement and articles. Short, accurate sentences would provide a stronger base before adding complex structures.

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