Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-01

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 process chart illustrates information about how plastic bottles are recycled.

At a fleeting glance, the initial step of the chart is throwing garbage in dustbin, then the garbage truck take the waste material to recycling centre. The next step is, sorting the plastic bottles into a box according to their type and quality. After sorting, the selected bottles are compressed into large blocks with help of machine.

Moving ahead, these blocks are crushed into small pieces with help of two rounded cutters, then wash the crushed item thoroughly water. After that, the clean pieces are processed in a machine to produce plastic pellets. Following this, the pellets are heated and melted into form raw plastic material.

Overall, it is a nine-stage process, beginning with the collection of used plastic bottles and ending with the production of new plastic products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main stages of the recycling process, but it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While the overview is present, the description of the process is somewhat brief and lacks the depth required for a higher band. The summary of the nine stages is accurate, but the lack of length prevents a full development of the information provided in the diagram. To improve, you should expand on the descriptions of each stage, perhaps by adding more detail about the equipment or the specific state of the materials at each transition point.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. You use some cohesive devices such as 'The next step is', 'After sorting', and 'Moving ahead' to signal the progression of the process. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a process description, but the overall structure is quite simple. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus to enhance the logical flow of the information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks sophistication. Phrases like 'throwing garbage' and 'with help of machine' are basic and slightly unnatural in an academic context. You have successfully used some process-specific vocabulary such as 'compressed', 'crushed', and 'pellets', which is positive. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary. For example, instead of 'with help of', use 'utilizing' or 'by means of' to sound more formal and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For instance, 'the garbage truck take' should be 'takes', and 'thoroughly water' is missing a preposition, such as 'thoroughly with water'. Additionally, 'into form raw plastic material' is grammatically incorrect. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions. Practicing complex sentence structures, such as using passive voice for process descriptions, would also be highly beneficial.

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

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