Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-27

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 illustrate how plastic bottles are recycled through nine steps.

overall,This opearation allows to recylce new product.

When we talk about the nine steps we begin man throw bottles at the garbage follow by bus collect it ,the three steps is Sorting is device the garnage for three or two part plastic or aliminum follwed by compressing into blocks then crushing and washing.

The last situation for this operation of recyling bottles is producing plastic pellets followed by heating pellets to form raw materials

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the general subject and mention several stages, including sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. However, the response only minimally covers the process: it stops before explaining that the heated material becomes raw material and is used to produce end products, and it does not describe the loop back to the recycling bin. Some details are inaccurate or unclear, such as saying bottles are sorted into “three or two part” and suggesting aluminium is involved; the diagram shows sorting into accepted and rejected items. The overview, “allows to recycle new product,” is too vague to summarise the cycle. The response is also 65 words below the required minimum, leaving important stages and explanations undeveloped. Describe the full cycle accurately and include a clear overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening identifies the diagram, followed by a brief account of early stages and a final sentence about later processing. The sequence is partly recognisable, and words such as “followed by” help connect steps. However, the progression is incomplete and difficult to follow, particularly in the long sentence beginning “When we talk about the nine steps.” The transition to “The last situation” does not clearly signal the remaining stages, and the response ends without a conclusion to the cycle. Paragraphing and linking are limited, while some references, such as “it” and “the three steps,” are unclear. Use separate overview and process paragraphs, and connect each stage in order with precise transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “washing,” and “plastic pellets,” so the reader can identify several stages. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the description difficult to understand: “garbage” is not the appropriate term for the recycling bin, “bus collect it” is imprecise, and “the last situation” does not naturally describe a process stage. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “opearation,” “recylce,” “garnage,” and “aliminum.” Aim for accurate process language such as “collection truck,” “accepted and rejected bottles,” and “finished products,” and check spelling carefully. Avoid repeating broad terms such as “operation” when a more precise noun is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to describe a sequence and use a few linking structures, but sentence forms are limited and errors are frequent enough to make parts of the process hard to interpret. For example, “The diagram illustrate” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, while “allows to recylce” lacks a clear grammatical subject and object. In “man throw bottles at the garbage follow by bus collect it,” the verb forms and sentence structure are unclear. The long sentence beginning “When we talk about the nine steps” also lacks a clear grammatical framework, and “the three steps is Sorting” has agreement problems. Use complete sentences with a consistent present simple passive, for example, “Bottles are placed in a bin and collected by a truck.” Check articles, plurals, agreement and punctuation.

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