Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-21
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)
When we through the garbage of plastic bottles in the waste drum of the street, the truck of the waste management come and collects all the garbage. Then the workers separate all the the plastic bottles and other plastic things from the waste, then the process of recycling starts.
In the first step, all the plastic bottles compressed into blocks to make surface of the plastic plain and smooth. When the compressing step completes, the second step starts which is called crushing. In this process all the plastic which is compresssed into blocks is thrown into the crushers. The crushers crushes all the plastic bottles into small pieces and those pieces fall into the water tub to wash. When the washing process completes, the next step starts.
In this step, the platic pallets are produced by throwing those plastic pieces thrown into the machine.
After this process, the step of heating starts. In this step, All the plastic pallets are heated to form raw materials like thick plastic materials.
In the final step, this raw material is used to make different kind of plastic products like branded water bottles, lunch boxes for kids, plastics can and water drums etc.
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 covers the main stages of the recycling process, from collection to the final product. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear overview or summary of the process as a whole, which is a requirement for Task 1. The tone is slightly informal, and the description of the steps could be more concise. While all stages are identified, the lack of a clear introductory overview and the reliance on a step-by-step narrative without highlighting the cyclical nature of the process limits the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'In this step', 'When the... completes'). The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the third paragraph where the connection between the machine and the production of pallets is slightly abrupt. Overall, the structure is functional but lacks sophisticated linking.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'through the garbage' instead of 'throw away' and 'plastics can' instead of 'plastic containers'. The repetition of basic terms like 'process', 'step', and 'plastic' indicates a limited range. To improve, you should aim to use more specific terminology related to industrial processes and avoid repeating the same nouns and verbs throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'the truck of the waste management come' (subject-verb agreement), 'all the the plastic' (repetition), and 'the crushers crushes' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve the accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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