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 given flowchart illustrates the information about the recycling of plastic process. Moreover, how the first step started and how at the end produced the products .

In the first stage, the company worker collected the plastic material, such as bottles and the collected material sent by the truck at the recycle location. In the next step, wastage, plastic are sorting by the machine and then composing into the blocks.

Following this, plastic crushed by the machine and crush, plastic is washing. After that, worst material converted into the plastic petals. In the last second stage, plastic petals melted by the heating process and ready for the new material. However, this row material converted into the final production. Subsequently, in the last phase , recycle plastic used to produce new products such as clothes, disposal, and bottles. Now it is ready for the sale at the markets.

Overall, there are nine steps and all are significant. The most important stage is collecting and recycling the plastic material and converted into the role material and produce new products from the wastage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as recycling plastic and mention several key stages, including collection, sorting, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating, and making new products. However, the account is only partly accurate and some important details are unclear. The diagram begins with a person placing bottles in a recycling bin, not a company worker collecting them; sorting is shown by a person, and only suitable bottles continue through the process. The overview says there are nine steps, but does not clearly explain the cycle returning from end products to the bin. Some outputs are also misreported: the diagram shows items such as food containers, a T-shirt, pencils, and a carrier bag. A more precise overview and clearer stage descriptions would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a broadly understandable sequence, moving from collection through processing to the production of new goods. Phrases such as “In the first stage,” “Following this,” and “After that” help signal progression, and the final paragraph attempts to provide an overview. However, the stages are not consistently grouped or clearly distinguished: “In the last second stage” is confusing, and the overview appears after the detailed account rather than guiding it. Some links are mechanical, while “Moreover” does not express a clear relationship between the opening ideas. Organise the response into a concise overview followed by two chronological stages, and use transitions that accurately show sequence and return to the start of the cycle.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “flowchart,” “sorting,” “crushed,” “heating process,” and “final production.” However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices make the process difficult to follow. “Plastic petals” appears to mean plastic pellets, while “worst material” and “role material” obscure the intended meaning of waste plastic and raw material. “Composing into the blocks” is not an appropriate description of compressing, and “disposal” does not accurately name the products shown. Spelling and word-form errors also affect clarity. Build a more precise set of terms for each stage and check that nouns and verbs match the diagram’s labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe a sequence using both simple sentences and longer constructions, but control is inconsistent. Several sentences omit necessary verbs or use incorrect forms, as in “the collected material sent by the truck” and “plastic crushed by the machine.” Agreement and number are also problematic in “wastage, plastic are sorting,” while the opening fragment, “Moreover, how the first step started…,” is not a complete sentence. These errors sometimes make it hard to identify who performs each action and what happens to the plastic. Practise forming complete passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The bottles are collected and transported,” and check tense, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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