Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-13
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 that how plastic bottles are collected and recycled in a step by step method.
Overall, if we look at the process, the thrown bottles are gathered and transfered to a sorting centre. Then, this sorted plastic is compressed and crushed through the relevant machines. Finally,the pellets have been prepared and used for making various things.
First of all, the regular plastic cans are picked up by the respective lorries and delivered them to a recycling factory, where this plastic material is arranged in a particular way. Then it is squeezed into block like pattern and, send it to the crushing centre for grinding. Alongwith crushing, washing is also carried out side by side.
After this, pelletes are formed by this resulting material, in a large tower. Following this, the balls are introduced in a heating apparatus, which melts all the matter to use for commercial purposes. The obtaining raw material that is rebuilded, uses for making bottles, clothes and some stationery goods.
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 successfully covers all the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, providing an overview and selecting key features as required. The writer outlines the process from collection and sorting to crushing, washing, pelletising, and final manufacturing into various products such as bottles, clothes, and stationery goods. However, the summary lacks some minor details and comparisons could be slightly more integrated across the different stages. The overview captures the general trend effectively, but the development of individual steps is somewhat brief. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of Task 1 adequately, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The report displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs detailing the sequential steps. The writer makes use of cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Then', 'After this', and 'Following this' to sequence the stages of the diagram. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in expressions like 'send it to the crushing centre' and 'the balls are introduced'. Paragraphing is used, but the logical progression between sentences occasionally feels slightly disjointed due to grammatical friction. These features align comfortably with a Band 6.0 for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully employing process-related terminology such as 'compressed', 'crushing', 'washing', 'pellets', and 'raw material'. There are, however, several lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'thrown bottles' instead of 'discarded bottles', 'block like pattern', 'pelletes' (spelling error), and 'rebuilded' instead of 'reprocessed' or 'recycled'. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is not impeded, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main steps of the diagram. This performance corresponds to a Band 6.0 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though attempts at complex structures often contain errors. For instance, the opening sentence contains a redundant embedded clause ('The diagram illustrates that how plastic bottles are collected...'). Other errors include subject-verb agreement and voice issues, such as 'the pellets have been prepared', 'send it' instead of 'sending it', and 'uses for making' instead of 'is used for making'. Punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after commas (e.g., 'Finally,the pellets'), also occur. While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede overall communication, placing the response at Band 5.5.
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