Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-31

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 displays the process of recycling plastic bottles,shirts and bags.

Overall, There are nine pictures in this digrame, which are showing the process of cloths and plastic. Beginning with the bin when we through the extra things in bins. This things crushing in a machine.

We through the extra things in the bins, after that sweepers pickup the things in a truck and these things goes to a recycling center. In recycling center, workers find the material and they store in a box. After that these things compressing into blocks, and then these blocks goes to the next stage where the material crush.

When the material crush in piecse and goes to the washing senter, after neet and clean pieces goes to the next stage in a machine, where plastic pellets produce. The plastic pellets storege in a place after that the material packed in bags, then raw material produced different type of products such as a, bottels, shirts and bags.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the subject as plastic-bottle recycling and include several relevant stages, such as collection by truck, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing and making pellets. However, the account only partially covers the process: it does not clearly explain that the pellets are heated to form raw material, and it gives little attention to the final products or the loop back to the recycling bin. The overview is also unclear and partly inaccurate: “nine pictures” is not a summary of the main features, and the opening refers to recycling “shirts and bags” rather than showing bottles being recycled into products such as clothing and bags. To strengthen the response, give a clear overview of the full cycle and describe the stages in their correct sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an opening followed by paragraphs that broadly move through the process, and phrases such as “after that” and “then” help signal sequence. However, progression is not consistently clear because some stages are repeated or described vaguely: “We through the extra things in the bins” repeats the opening, while “these things” does not always make clear whether it refers to bottles, sorted material or crushed pieces. The overview also introduces the process without establishing its complete cycle. Organise the description into a concise overview and a step-by-step account, using precise references such as “the bottles” or “the washed pieces” and linking each stage once.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling center,” “compressing into blocks,” “plastic pellets” and “raw material,” so the reader can recognise the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the description difficult to follow. “Sweepers” is not an accurate term for the collection workers, “extra things” is too vague for the bottles, and “storege” does not clearly express what happens to the pellets. Spelling errors such as “digreme,” “piecse” and “bottels” are also noticeable. Use specific nouns from the diagram and check spelling; for example, describe bottles being collected, sorted, crushed and washed before being processed into pellets.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect stages with longer sentences, for example, “After that these things compressing into blocks, and then these blocks goes to the next stage.” However, verb forms and agreement are frequently inaccurate, and these errors sometimes make the sequence hard to understand. Examples include “we through” instead of a correctly formed passive description, “these blocks goes,” and “plastic pellets produce.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, including the fragment “Beginning with the bin…” and the capitalised “There” after a comma. Practise using a consistent present simple passive for process descriptions, such as “The bottles are collected,” and check subject–verb agreement and complete sentence structure.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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