Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-24

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 depicts the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overal, it is clear that it consist of Nine stages. This process started with throwing bottle into dust-bin and end up with producing end products such as shirts, pencils and bottles. Along with crushing and washing raw material.

It started when someone threw bottle to dust-bin. After that, collecting dust vehicle picked all the dust-bin and put inside the vehicle where dust materials were collected. Then the bottles are transported to a recycling centre. In 4th step, bottles were compressed into blocks.

The bottles are crushed using cutters and converted into minor pieces. After washing these pieces, they would added in machines where plastic pellets are produced. In 7th stage, pellets are thrown outside the machine and it became raw material . This raw material is converted into bags. and then it used for making different kind of product such as shirt, pencils and bottles. This process will work again when we will put this product into dust-bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the recycling process, but the overview is weak and lacks a clear summary of the key features. While you identified the nine stages, the description of the process is somewhat mechanical and lacks the analytical tone required for an Academic Task 1 report. Some steps are described with unnecessary detail (e.g., 'someone threw bottle to dust-bin'), while others are slightly inaccurate regarding the flow of the diagram. To improve, focus on grouping the stages logically—such as collection, processing, and manufacturing—rather than listing them step-by-step in a narrative style.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive or mechanical, such as the frequent use of 'Then' and 'After that'. The transition between the processing stage and the final product stage is somewhat abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where 'it used for making' lacks a clear subject. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'dust-bin' (which is informal; 'recycling bin' is better) and 'minor pieces'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'collecting dust vehicle' instead of 'collection truck'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more specific technical vocabulary related to industrial processes, such as 'shredded', 'granulated', or 'raw materials', and avoid informal phrasing.

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 distract the reader. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('it consist of', 'they would added'), article usage ('the' is often missing or misused), and tense consistency ('This process started' vs 'It started'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences ending abruptly or containing unnecessary full stops in the middle of a thought. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.

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