Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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 the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, it is clear that there are nine-stage process that being from people put the bottles in the dustbeen and the process end at producing new material and make products.

Regarding, people use bottles and then put them in the dustbeen then the vehicle that collect the trash took the used bottles from the dustbeen. The next step was the vehicle arrived the recycling center and there sorting the bottles. Following by, bottles compressing into blocks. The next stage is crushing the blocks from the machinery and washing from the water. Then, the bottles producing plastic pellets from the machine. After that, heating pellets and then convert into raw material. The seven step was put the raw material on the specific place. The last step was producing as a new material and then make products from that.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the subject and give a basic account of the main sequence, including collection, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: the process does not end with “producing new material”; it continues to making end products and loops back to bottle disposal. Several details are also misreported or omitted, especially the sorting of suitable and unsuitable bottles and the examples of products made. The response addresses the task only partially, with features left under-developed. It is also four words below the required 150-word minimum. To improve, give a precise overview of the full cycle and describe the final stages accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable order, and sequencing expressions such as “The next step,” “Following by,” and “After that” help the reader follow the process. The paragraph break between the overview and the stage-by-stage account is also useful. However, progression is weakened by repetitive transitions and unclear links, particularly “The seven step was put the raw material on the specific place,” which does not clearly explain the stage. The overview also conflicts with the later account by suggesting the process ends before the end products. Organise the description into a clear beginning-to-end sequence, use a wider range of accurate linking phrases, and make the overview consistent with the details.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling center,” “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “washing,” “pellets,” and “raw material.” This gives the reader a basic sense of the stages. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear: “dustbeen” for a recycling bin, “the vehicle that collect the trash,” and “producing as a new material” do not describe the diagram naturally. “Specific place” is also vague for the raw material stage. Aim for precise terms such as “recycling bin,” “collection truck,” “recycled material,” and “manufacture end products.” Check spelling and use process vocabulary consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response mainly uses simple sentences and attempts to connect stages, so the sequence is broadly understandable. However, grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between actions unclear. For example, “there are nine-stage process that being from people put” has problems with the article, clause structure and verb form; “the vehicle that collect” has subject–verb disagreement; and “bottles compressing into blocks” lacks a correctly formed passive verb. Tense also shifts between past and present (“was” and “is”) without a clear reason. Practise accurate passive constructions for processes, such as “the bottles are compressed,” and use consistent present simple forms throughout.

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