Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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 illustrates how the bottles is recycled.

Overall, it can be seen that the process consist of 9 main stages beginning with the collection of waste materials and ending with the producing of newly manufacturing materials.

In first stage, waste bottle is throwm in the dustbin then the wasted bottles is collected from various resources and put into the loaded trucks. In the third stage, when bottles is collected then it transported for Following this recycling center is sorted the waste bottle. After that the sorted material is compressed into the small blocks.Then the material are crused by machine.Then the crused material are washed woth water for further processing.In the six stage the the clean crushed material is processed into plastic pellets . following this , pellets is heated to form raw materials . When raw materials is made then is can be used for various purpose such as makingbags, new bottles, dresses and lunch boxes.

At the end, this the all process of how wasted bottles can be used again for various resources.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and give a broad overview that it ends with products made from recycled material, which addresses the central purpose of the diagram. Several key stages are also included, such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. However, the account is only partly complete: the collection truck and the sorting decision between accepted and rejected bottles are not clearly explained, and the final stage does not state that end products feed back into the cycle. The overview’s claim that it ends with “newly manufacturing materials” is also unclear, since the diagram shows a closed loop producing end products. To strengthen the response, summarise the full cycle accurately and distinguish raw material from the finished products made from it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the general order of the process, and sequencing phrases such as “In first stage,” “After that,” and “following this” help the reader recognise the intended progression. The opening overview also gives the response a basic structure. However, most of the stages are crowded into one long paragraph, and several transitions are awkward or unclear, particularly “then it transported for Following this recycling center is sorted.” The repeated use of “then” and “following this” makes the linking mechanical, while the final sentence repeats the idea of reuse without clearly connecting it to the diagram’s loop. Organise the description into a short overview and a clearly sequenced body, using accurate references such as “the bottles” and “the resulting pellets” to make connections easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed,” “washed,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw materials,” so the reader can identify several stages. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms make the description difficult to understand. For example, “various resources” does not clearly describe the products shown, and “newly manufacturing materials” is an unnatural phrase. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “throwm,” “crused,” and “woth,” alongside unclear expressions such as “loaded trucks.” Aim for precise process language and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe bottles as being “collected by truck,” and call the final items “finished products” rather than “various resources.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to use both simple statements and longer clauses, and the overall meaning can often be inferred. However, grammatical control is weak: errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. Examples include “the bottles is recycled,” “the process consist,” and “waste bottle is throwm”; these should use plural agreement and passive forms consistently. The sentence beginning “In the third stage, when bottles is collected” is incomplete and then runs into another clause, making the sequence hard to follow. There are also missing or misplaced articles and punctuation, as in “In first stage” and “blocks.Then.” Practise forming clear passive sentences, such as “The bottles are sorted and then compressed into blocks,” and separate each stage into complete sentences.

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