Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-23

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 clearly illustrate the process for recycling plastic bottles to final product.

Overall it start from picking plastic and ended it up going through furthure more 8 process to the final products.

Firstly workers pick it from recycle collecters boxes, then it will be load in a cargo for shifting in recycling center for sorting these, after that it will go through compressing by machine and convert in a shape of block,the crushing process begin and machine make it in peaces that drown in water after being soft. it will go in a machine which is producing plastic pallete,then heating pallete create in a form raw materials ,after that raw materials being assemble for for producing end products such as shirts,bags,pencils,lunch boxes and bottle etc.

Meanwhile the whole process through raw materials to end products amazing .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the subject and describe several central stages, including collection, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating and making end products. The examples of products—“shirts, bags, pencils, lunch boxes and bottle”—also reflect the diagram. However, the account is only partial: the opening stage is described as workers picking bottles from “collecters boxes,” rather than a person placing them in a recycling bin, and the sorting stage’s separation into accepted and rejected bottles is omitted. The overview is unclear (“it start from picking plastic”) and does not explain that the process forms a loop, with products returning to the start. The response is also 12 words below the required minimum. Add a clear overview and report the loop and sorting decision accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in the correct order, and “Firstly” and “after that” help the reader follow the process. This gives the response some organisation. However, most of the account is compressed into one long paragraph and a single extended sentence, so the progression is difficult to track. Linking phrases are repetitive, and “Meanwhile” does not introduce a clear contrast or simultaneous event. The final sentence, “the whole process through raw materials to end products amazing,” is disconnected from the preceding description and does not clarify the cycle. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and stage-by-stage account, and connect stages with precise sequencing language such as “subsequently” and “once the pellets have been heated.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “raw materials” and “end products,” which allows the reader to recognise the main stages. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or spellings make parts difficult to understand: “recycle collecters boxes,” “peaces,” “drown in water” and “pallete.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “load in a cargo for shifting” and “heating pallete create in a form raw materials.” Choose precise terms from the diagram—for example, “recycling bin,” “collection truck,” “plastic pieces” and “pellets”—and check spelling. More accurate collocations, such as “transported to a recycling centre” and “heated to form raw material,” would make the description clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect stages in longer sentences, using forms such as “after that” and “after being soft,” but these complex constructions are often faulty. Errors in agreement and verb forms appear in “The diagram clearly illustrate” and “Overall it start,” while “it will be load” has an incorrect passive form. Articles and sentence structure are also problematic in phrases such as “in a shape of block” and “for producing end products.” The long sequence beginning “Firstly workers pick it…” contains several clauses without clear punctuation, making relationships between actions hard to follow. Use a consistent present simple passive for the process—“bottles are collected,” “they are compressed”—and build shorter sentences with accurate articles and punctuation.

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