Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-06

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 5.5)

The diagram outline the stages of how the plastic bottles are recycle for use.

Overall, it is a linear process which contain 9 steps. Firstly, people throw bottles in garbage box and final step is the product are ready for sell.

Firstly, the recycling product are throw in the local dustbin where are garbage truck come and collect all the garbage and then the plastic are transfer to recycling centre where the sorting of the items are done. After that, all the plastics are compress into a blocks for further process. Then, the blocks are go in the crushing machine where all the piece are washed by water.

In next step, the the piece of plastic are go in machine from which pellets of plastic are formed. After formation of pellets, these are gone under heating to form raw material. The raw material are collecting in one place and the last step is produce the end product from raw material.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main stages from disposal and collection through sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating and the creation of end products. The overview also identifies the number of stages and the beginning and end of the process. However, the description misrepresents the diagram as “a linear process”; it is a closed loop, with end products feeding back to the start. Some details are also unclear or inaccurate: the bin is specifically for recycling, not general rubbish, and the sorting stage separates suitable bottles from rejected items. The final products are produced from the raw material, but the response does not mention examples shown. A more accurate overview and a little more detail about sorting and the loop would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence, and paragraphing separates the overview from the stage-by-stage account. Linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “After that,” and “Then” help the reader follow the process. However, the progression is not fully coherent because the overview calls the process linear and does not explain that it loops back to the beginning. Some connections are also mechanical, with several stages introduced by similar sequencing phrases. The reference in “these are gone under heating” is not entirely clear, and “the last step” overlooks the return arrow. To strengthen organisation, group the stages into clear phases and use linking language to show both sequence and the cycle’s completion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compress,” “crushing machine,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” so the reader can generally understand the stages. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram. “Garbage box” and “local dustbin” suggest ordinary waste disposal rather than a recycling bin, while “recycling product” does not clearly identify the bottles. Phrases such as “the piece of plastic” and “the product are ready for sell” are imprecise or awkward. Aim for more exact process terms and natural collocations, such as “recycling bin,” “plastic fragments,” and “manufacture finished products.” This would improve precision without requiring unnecessarily advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer sequences using clauses such as “where the sorting of the items are done,” showing some effort to vary sentence structure. However, errors in verb forms and subject–verb agreement occur throughout and sometimes make the process harder to follow. Examples include “the diagram outline,” “bottles are recycle,” “the plastic are transfer,” and “the blocks are go.” Articles and plurals also need attention, as in “compress into a blocks” and “all the piece.” The sentence “the last step is produce” needs a grammatical verb form. Practise forming passive constructions consistently—for example, “the bottles are sorted” and “the plastic is heated”—and check agreement and singular/plural forms when editing.

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