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Cambridge 16 Writing Task 1 Test 4 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)

Real band 9, 8, 7 and 6.5 sample answers for this prompt, plus a genuine band 4-5 answer so you can see exactly what pulls a score down. Every sample comes with examiner-style notes on Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.

The Prompt

The Process for Recycling Plastic Bottles

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.

Write at least 150 words.

The Data

How plastic bottles are recycled (7 stages)

1. Collection: Used plastic bottles are collected from households and recycling points

2. Sorting: Bottles are delivered to the recycling centre and sorted by type and colour

3. Compressing: Sorted bottles are compressed into large bales to save space

4. Crushing: Bales are broken down and bottles are crushed into small pieces (flakes)

5. Washing: Crushed plastic is thoroughly washed to remove labels, dirt and contaminants

6. Heating pellets: Clean flakes are melted and formed into small pellets, the raw material for new products

7. Producing end products: Pellets are used to manufacture new items such as clothing, furniture and new bottles

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Band 9

185 words

Explicitly frames the whole sequence as a transformation from waste into usable material, rather than simply listing seven separate steps.

The diagram illustrates the process by which used plastic bottles are recycled and transformed into new products, comprising seven sequential stages.

Overall, the process moves bottles from unsorted household waste through a series of mechanical and thermal treatments until they are converted into raw material suitable for manufacturing entirely new items, with no stage in the sequence being repeated or reversed.

The process begins with the collection of used plastic bottles from households and dedicated recycling points. These bottles are then delivered to a recycling centre, where they undergo sorting by type and colour, before being compressed into large bales in order to save storage and transport space.

Following compression, the bales are broken down and the bottles within them are crushed into small flakes. These flakes are then thoroughly washed to remove any remaining labels, dirt, or contaminants, before being melted and formed into small pellets, which serve as the raw material for new products. In the final stage, these pellets are used to manufacture entirely new items, such as clothing, furniture, and new bottles, completing the transformation from discarded waste into usable material.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Accurately covers all seven stages in the correct sequence with a clear overview identifying the process as linear and ending in raw material for new products.

Coherence & Cohesion: Clear overview followed by chronological detail, linked with accurate sequencing language ("following compression", "in the final stage").

Lexical Resource: Wide range of precise process vocabulary ("contaminants", "pellets", "discarded waste") used accurately.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Wide range of accurate structures, including passive voice used appropriately for describing a process.

Band 8

157 words

Accurate and clearly organised, just slightly less varied in its vocabulary than a band 9 answer.

The diagram shows how used plastic bottles are recycled, involving seven stages in total.

Overall, the process takes bottles from household waste through several mechanical steps and turns them into raw material that is used to make new products, with each stage happening only once.

First, used bottles are collected from households and recycling points, then taken to a recycling centre where they are sorted by type and colour. After sorting, the bottles are compressed into large bales to save space.

The bales are then broken down and crushed into small flakes, which are washed thoroughly to remove labels and dirt. These clean flakes are then melted and formed into pellets, the raw material for new products. Finally, these pellets are used to make new items such as clothing, furniture, and bottles. No stage in this process is skipped or repeated, and each step depends on the material having been correctly processed in the stage before it.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Covers all seven stages accurately with a clear overview, including the end use of the pellets, though described a little more simply than in the band 9 answer.

Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised with an overview followed by chronological detail; cohesive devices are accurate throughout.

Lexical Resource: Good range of process vocabulary, though slightly less varied than the higher-band answer's phrasing.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Accurate throughout, with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including passive forms.

Band 7

165 words

All seven stages are correctly reported, but the pellet stage as raw material is only loosely mentioned rather than clearly explained.

The diagram shows the process of recycling plastic bottles. There are seven steps in total.

Overall, the bottles go through several stages and are turned into new products at the end.

First, bottles are collected from homes and recycling points. They are then sorted by type and colour at a recycling centre, and after that, they are compressed into bales.

The bales are crushed into small pieces, which are washed to remove dirt. Then they are heated and made into pellets, which are used to make new products like clothes and furniture. Each of these seven steps happens in a fixed sequence, and no stage is ever repeated or skipped, meaning the whole process turns discarded bottles into completely new, usable products from start to finish. This kind of closed-loop recycling reduces the need for manufacturers to produce new plastic from raw petroleum, which is both more expensive and more damaging to the environment than reusing material that has already been through the system once.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Reports all seven stages accurately with a basic overview, but the overview does not clearly identify the raw-material end point the way the higher-band answers do.

Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised in chronological order, though the stages are listed with fairly plain connecting language throughout.

Lexical Resource: Adequate range for the task; some repetition of "then" as the main sequencing word.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Generally accurate, mostly simple sentence structures with some passive forms; meaning is always clear.

Band 6.5

164 words

All seven stages are correctly reported, but agreement and passive-voice errors appear in almost every sentence.

The diagram show the process of recycling plastic bottle. There is seven step in total.

Overall, the bottle go through several stage and is turn into new product at the end.

First, bottle is collect from home and recycling point. They is then sort by type and colour at recycling centre, and after that, they is compress into bale.

The bale is crush into small piece, which is wash to remove dirt. Then they is heat and make into pellet, which is use to make new product like clothes and furniture. Each of this seven step happen in a fixed sequence, and no stage is ever repeat or skip, meaning the whole process turn discarded bottle into completely new, usable product from start to finish. This kind of closed-loop recycling reduce the need for manufacturer to produce new plastic from raw petroleum, which is both more expensive and more damaging to the environment than reusing material that has already been through the system once.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Reports all seven stages accurately, matching the content of the band 7 answer.

Coherence & Cohesion: Clearly organised in chronological order, following the same structure as the higher-band answers.

Lexical Resource: Limited by "bottle", "step", and "pellet" being used without their plural forms throughout.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent subject-verb agreement and passive-voice errors ("diagram show", "bottle is collect", "they is sort") appear in nearly every sentence.

Band 4-5 - What to Avoid

35 words

Five of the seven stages are missing entirely, and a personal opinion is inserted into what should be a factual process report.

This show how bottle is recycle.

They wash it and make new thing. I think recycling is good for environment, everyone should do it.

The factory do this, this is my opinion about this diagram.

Examiner Notes

Task Achievement: Only two of the seven stages (washing and producing end products) are mentioned, five stages including collection, sorting, compressing, and crushing are missing entirely, and a personal opinion about recycling is inserted, which has no place in a Task 1 report. At well under 150 words, the response is also underlength.

Coherence & Cohesion: Reads as disconnected remarks rather than a chronological account of the process.

Lexical Resource: Vague, repetitive vocabulary ("wash it and make new thing") used instead of the specific process terms shown in the diagram.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent errors throughout ("this show", "the factory do this").

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These sample answers are written independently for Prep IELTS Now to illustrate real band-score differences. They are a study aid, not official Cambridge or IELTS material.