Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-22

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)

This diagram illustrates the step-by-step process by which plastic bottles are recycled.

Overall, this industrial cycle progression involves a total of nine distinct steps. It starts when residents dump their garbage into a trash bin, and goes through eight further stages before new products are finally produced.

Initially, the trash in a trash bin is taken by a garbage truck. In the next stage, those garbage carried by a truck goes to a recycling centre, which is then separates the recyclable trash and non recyclable trash. After sorted, those trash are compressed into a large rectangular blocks, which is then crushed into small pieces. This small pieces are washed in the water tank underneath.

Consequently, the cleaned plastic is used for producing pellets, with the help by a indicated machine. This pellets are heated from under to form raw material which is then stacked on eachother. Finally, those raw material are used to produce end products such as t-shirts, containers, and recyled bags. This cycle continues when the products are thrown away.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main stages of the recycling process. You have provided a clear overview and followed the sequence of events logically. However, the report could be improved by including more specific details from the diagram, such as the mention of the 'sorting' stage being divided into 'recyclable' and 'non-recyclable' items, which you captured well. To reach a higher band, ensure that all key features are described with equal precision. The summary is accurate, but some descriptions of the later stages, such as the heating and stacking process, could be more detailed to fully capture the complexity of the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, moving from an introduction to the process stages. You use some cohesive devices like 'Initially', 'In the next stage', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader. However, the use of referencing is occasionally mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as 'those garbage carried by a truck' and 'this small pieces'. Improving the flow between sentences by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns correctly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall cohesion of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'industrial cycle', 'compressed', and 'raw material'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'garbage carried by a truck' (should be 'waste collected') and 'with the help by a indicated machine'. Additionally, there are some grammatical errors involving pluralization, such as 'this small pieces' and 'this pellets', which indicate a need for more careful proofreading. Expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary would help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and pluralization (e.g., 'which is then separates', 'those trash are compressed', 'this pellets are heated'). These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To improve, focus on ensuring that your subjects and verbs agree and that demonstrative adjectives ('this' vs 'these') are used correctly with plural nouns. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also help raise your score.

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

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