Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-19
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 4.5)
Some people believe that recycling at home is not enough, while others say that one way to increase recycling is for governments to make it legally required. I think laws, along with other measures, are important to encourage people to recycle more of their waste.
On the one hand, there are several reasons why laws are important. One of the prominent reasons is that if the government makes laws about recycling waste, people would be more likely to follow them. In other words, people should separate different kinds of waste, such as plastic items and glass bottles, and so on, to ease the recycling process. For example, the government can make a law and impose financial penalties on those who fail to comply with recycling rules. As a result, the amount of recyclable waste increases over time after the law is implemented.
On the other hand, the government provides education about this subject in addition to making laws. This is because some people do not follow the rules, so it is necessary to teach people in their countries proper educational guidelines; if the government does not arrange this solution, countries might face this issue again and again. For instance, in this modern era, advertising has become common, so the government can run public awareness campaigns about recycling; in these advertisements, people can learn about the benefits and why recycling is essential for people and the environment. As a result, it would bring a lot of benefits for countries as well as people.
In conclusion, although some people think that making laws is the only way to increase recycling, I think that laws are important along with other measures to encourage people to recycle and follow the rules properly.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 1.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0
The student has written a complete essay on recycling, which is completely off-topic for the Academic Task 1 prompt provided. The prompt required a summary and comparison of visual data regarding the proportions of British students able to speak other languages in 2000 and 2010. Because the response addresses an unrelated Writing Task 2 prompt instead of the provided visual data, it fails to cover the requirements of Task Achievement completely. No data points from the charts are reported, and no comparisons are made. Therefore, the task response is fundamentally flawed regarding the specific prompt instructions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
Despite being off-topic for the visual task, the essay itself is structured with a standard four-paragraph format containing an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to signal logical progression. However, referencing and paragraph flow are sometimes mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas, meeting basic structural expectations for an essay format, though the lack of relevant content prevents a higher evaluation.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used throughout the essay is adequate for general topics, featuring terms such as 'financial penalties', 'comply', 'public awareness campaigns', and 'essential'. There are attempts to use less common lexical items, though some collocations and word choices are repetitive or slightly unnatural, such as 'arrange this solution' or 'bring a lot of benefits for countries'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary does not impede communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional clauses like 'if the government makes laws about recycling waste, people would be more likely to follow them' and concessive clauses starting with 'although'. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as repetitive use of simple connectors and slight tense inconsistencies, but these errors rarely impede communication and the overall grammar is reasonably controlled.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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