Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-03
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 the information about the process of recycling of plastic bottles with different steps.
Overall, The figures showing about the deep down steps that how plastic bottes get recycled and it include various factors also with the help of human being it is impossible to do.
Firstly, They collect the wastage from garbage bins and put into the big tractors which is help is collect the various waste things in one time and deposit to recycling center. Secondly, They one human start filtering out that products which is going to recycles such as bottles, cans.
After sorting, they compressed that waste into blocks which will be easy to carry and put into crashing, so they can easily divided into small parts, and it put down into washing to protect from dirt. Later on, the waste humans put into pallet machine which will help waste covert into various raw material. At Last, when the raw material will ready, they start producing final product from that and it includes T-shirt, bottles, Tiffins and bags.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main stages of the recycling process, from collection to the production of final goods. However, the overview is problematic; it includes irrelevant commentary about 'human beings' and fails to provide a clear summary of the process flow. The description of the steps is generally accurate, but the lack of a professional tone and the inclusion of subjective opinions detract from the academic nature of the task. To improve, focus on describing the stages objectively without adding personal observations or conversational filler.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. The use of cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'After', and 'At Last' provides a basic structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the connection between the 'human' and the 'filtering' process is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. Words like 'waste', 'human', and 'things' are used frequently, which lacks the precision required for an Academic Task 1 response. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'crashing' (likely meaning 'crushing') and 'pallet machine' (likely 'pellet machine'). While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is not sufficient to demonstrate a higher level of control. Using more specific technical terms related to industrial processes would significantly improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('which is help is collect'), incorrect verb forms ('which is going to recycles'), and awkward sentence construction ('The figures showing about the deep down steps that how plastic bottes get recycled'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization after commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.