Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-24
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 collect and used in make various types of things.
Begin with the throw throw plastic
bag into the dustbin the next step is that a truck collected the garbage from the dustbin. Following this sending the recycling centre to sorting the plastic. After this step, These plastic become compressed,and it is undergose crushing mechine where it is washed. Eventually, produced the pellets from to the plastic which heated it and make raw material. Finally this raw material used in to make various products such as bags pencils and bottles.
Overall, the process started with collect plastic into the dustbin and end with make plastic items.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While the student identifies the main stages of the recycling process, the description is overly simplistic and lacks the necessary detail to fully explain the diagram. The overview is very brief and does not adequately summarise the key features of the process. To improve, the student must expand on each stage of the process, ensuring that the description is comprehensive and meets the length requirement. The current response is too short to provide a fully developed summary of the information presented in the diagram.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response lacks clear paragraphing, which is essential for a structured report. While there is an attempt to use sequencing words like 'Following this' and 'Eventually', the flow of ideas is disjointed. The transition between sentences is often abrupt, and the lack of a clear introduction and conclusion makes the text difficult to follow. To improve, the student should organize the information into logical paragraphs: an introduction, a body paragraph detailing the process steps, and a concluding summary. Using a wider range of cohesive devices more naturally will help improve the overall flow and logical progression of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms such as 'things', 'make', and 'plastic'. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'undergose crushing mechine' and 'produced the pellets from to the plastic'. These errors indicate a lack of control over word choice and collocation. To reach a higher band, the student needs to use more precise, academic vocabulary related to industrial processes, such as 'manufactured', 'transformed', 'raw materials', and 'sorted'. Expanding the range of vocabulary will allow for a more accurate and professional description of the recycling process.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede communication. There are significant issues with verb forms (e.g., 'plastic collect and used in make'), sentence structure (e.g., 'Following this sending the recycling centre'), and spelling (e.g., 'mechine'). The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple, error-prone sentences. To improve, the student should focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring correct subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage. Practicing the use of passive voice, which is appropriate for describing processes, would also help improve the grammatical range and accuracy of the writing.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.