Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-09

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 illustrate the process of recycling plastic bottles in nine different methods.

Overall diagram shows, how plastic bottles recycled in nine steps. It start from point one when every one thrown waste bottles into dustbins and then in second step a van pick up all mixed materials from baskets and reached to the recycling centre for sorting all items saperately. There is a heavy machine that compressed all materials into blocks and shaped them into a box. Then in fifth step crushing and washing process started where all bottles are cleaned and ready for next procedure. In sixth step all materials thrown into machine where it produced plastic pellets for further process and then heated all pellets to form raw material. After producing the raw material it pakced into the blocks and arranged in lines and then all materials sent to factory where all materials reshaped into new products like shirt, pens, bottles and other things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, processing and making new products, and you identify the cycle as having nine stages. However, the overview is not sufficiently clear about the key feature that the process is a closed loop: the final products feed back to the first stage. Some details are also inaccurate or imprecise. The diagram shows a collection truck, not a van collecting materials from baskets, and sorting separates suitable bottles from rejected items rather than sorting all items separately. The raw material is shown on a pallet, but the response says it is packed into blocks and sent to a factory. Report the stages more precisely and make the recycling loop explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and sequencing phrases such as “in fifth step,” “in sixth step” and “then” help the reader follow the process. This gives the response an overall coherent arrangement. However, the information is compressed into one long paragraph, with no distinct overview and process description, so the main features are not clearly separated from the stage-by-stage account. Repeated use of “all materials” also makes the links between stages less precise, while “then” is used mechanically. Organise the response into an overview followed by the stages, and use clearer references such as “the sorted bottles” or “the resulting pellets” to show how each stage connects.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “sorting,” “compressed,” “crushing,” “washing,” “plastic pellets” and “raw material,” which allows the reader to understand the general process. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward for describing the diagram. “Dustbins” does not clearly convey a recycling bin, “baskets” is not shown, and “reshaped” is less precise than describing the production of new products. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “saperately” and “pakced.” Aim for precise process collocations and check spelling; for example, describe bottles being “sorted,” “compressed into blocks,” and “processed into new products.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect several stages in longer sentences, but grammatical control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the relationships between actions unclear. For example, “The diagram illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “It start” and “a van pick up” use incorrect verb forms. Passive forms are also needed for this process, but “plastic bottles recycled” and “all materials sent to factory” omit the auxiliary verb. Articles and sentence boundaries need attention as well: “in second step” and “in fifth step” lack an article, and the final sentence joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise accurate present-simple passive constructions, such as “the bottles are collected” and “the pellets are heated.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.