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 digram illustrates the information of recycling process. This digram gives detail processing of recycling plastic bottles.

In this digram that tells us about the complete processation of recycling plastic bottles. The digram gives information of recycling step-by-step. There is totaly 9 step of recycling. Taking overview of digram, starting from bottle goes to trash then travel to factorise or recycling center, combine to all bottle and squize it into block shape, crushing the blocks and heated them and at the last gives shape.

Now taking the deep view of recycling process, in starting the plasticbottles goes to durstbin and then moves through trush car to the recycling center on sorting seperates the bottle meanwhile, compress into block shape and further put into crushing machine and crush it. Then crush will depley wash into water tanker and then moves to producing plastic pellets machine and heating to pellets and making raw material. Then at the final stage gives proper shapes to material. such as: plastic bottles, plastic boxes, plastic pens, disposipal bags, and disposipal garments. etc.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the subject as the recycling of plastic bottles and include several key stages, from collection and sorting through crushing, washing, pellet production and the creation of new products. The overview also recognises that the process has nine stages. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: bottles are put in a recycling bin, not simply “trash,” and the account does not explain that unsuitable bottles are rejected during sorting. The important loop—new products can return to the recycling bin—is also omitted. The description of heating and forming raw material is compressed into “heating to pellets and making raw material,” which makes the sequence difficult to follow. Covering the full cycle more precisely and distinguishing each stage would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a more detailed account of the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “in starting,” “then,” and “at the final stage” help the reader recognise that this is a process. However, progression is weakened by repeated introductions to the same information, including “This digram gives detail” and “The digram gives information of recycling step-by-step.” Several stages are crowded into long sentences, and links between them are sometimes unclear—for example, “Then crush will depley wash into water tanker.” Use one concise overview, then describe the stages in order in a separate paragraph, with clear links such as “After sorting” and “Once washed.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compress,” “crushing machine,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw material,” which helps convey the process. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or misspelled choices make parts difficult to understand: “digram,” “processation,” “factorise,” “durstbin,” and “disposipal.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “gives shape” and “combine to all bottle.” Aim for accurate process vocabulary and natural collocations rather than repeating “gives information” or “shape.” For example, describe bottles being “collected,” “sorted,” and “compressed,” and say that the material is “moulded into new products.” Proofreading spelling would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, and the sequence is generally understandable despite frequent grammatical problems. Verb forms and agreement are often inaccurate: “plasticbottles goes,” “crush the blocks and heated them,” and “the final stage gives proper shapes” do not form correct descriptions of a process. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent, as in “There is totaly 9 step” and “into block shape.” Some sentences lack a clear grammatical structure, particularly “Then crush will depley wash into water tanker.” Use the present simple passive consistently for process stages—for example, “the bottles are sorted,” “the blocks are crushed,” and “the pellets are heated”—and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries.

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