Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustrates how plastic bottles are recycled.

Overall, the process diagram consists of nine stages, beginning with the wasting of plastic bottles and ending with the producing end products.

Looking at the details, individuals waste plastic bottles in the bins. Heavy vehicles take this bottles to recycling center for sorting. At the next stage, sorted bottles are compressed into blocks. Subsequently, crushing take place and crushed particles are than washed in water.

At the next step, plastic pellets are produced by machines which is than heated to form raw material. At the last stage, raw material are used to produce end products. These end products are plastic bottles boxes, pencils, shirts and shopping bags. This is the process for recycling plastic bottles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having nine stages and describe its broad progression from bottle disposal to the production of new goods. Several key steps are included, such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. However, the overview says the process begins with “the wasting” of bottles, which is imprecise, and the response does not explain that the diagram forms a closed loop, with new products returning to the recycling bin. Some details are also incomplete: sorting into accepted and rejected items is not mentioned, and the raw material stage is only briefly covered. The response is 27 words below the required minimum, which limits the development of the main features. Add a fuller overview and explain the loop and sorting outcome clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows the diagram’s general sequence, and phrases such as “At the next stage,” “Subsequently,” and “At the next step” help signal progression. The opening, overview and process details are also presented in a sensible order. However, the repeated use of similar time markers makes the linking somewhat mechanical, and the final sentence, “This is the process for recycling plastic bottles,” repeats information already established rather than advancing the description. The response would be easier to follow if the stages were grouped into clearer paragraphs—for example, collection and sorting, then processing and the return to production—and if references such as “these end products” were connected to the full cycle.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed particles,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” so the reader can understand the main stages. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram. “Waste plastic bottles” suggests that people discard them as rubbish, rather than place them in a recycling bin; “heavy vehicles” is less precise than “collection truck”; and “plastic bottles boxes” is unclear. There are also repeated general terms such as “stage” and “produce.” Use more precise process language and name the pictured products accurately, such as containers, a T-shirt and a carrier bag. This would make the description clearer and more appropriately varied.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses mostly simple sentences, with a few attempts to combine information, and the sequence remains understandable. However, several errors in verb forms and agreement reduce accuracy: “this bottles” should be “these bottles,” “crushing take place” should be “crushing takes place,” and “raw material are used” should be “raw materials are used” or “the raw material is used.” The phrase “which is than heated” also needs correction to “which are then heated” if it refers to pellets. These errors occur in otherwise straightforward sentence patterns. Practise checking subject–verb agreement, singular and plural forms, and the use of “then” for sequence; adding a few accurate complex sentences would also broaden the range.

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