Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18

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 complete process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, this diagram has nine steps beiginning with the throwing bottles into the rcycle bin and ending with producing products. This is a man-made cyclic process.

Firstly, in the first step we throw bottles into the bin which is specifically made for recycling process. Then the bottles and other forms of bags are carried by the truck. This truck brought all this stuff to the recycling centre for sorting. At that place the all the stuff is converted into blocks by compressing. After this each of the block crushed into pieces before being washed.

In the sixth step those crushed pieces are transfer for producing plastic pellets . And then these pellets converted into the raw material by heating. Then this raw material is used for making new products. This is the most important part. In the last step the products are made from raw material.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The candidate provides an overview of the process, noting that it is a man-made cyclic process consisting of nine steps beginning with discarding bottles and ending with finished goods. Key stages such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, and pellet production are captured. However, there are some minor mechanical errors in describing the exact sequence and details, such as mentioning 'other forms of bags' which are not clearly specified as part of the main bottle stream, and omitting the heating stage in the body paragraph summary. The overview is present and the main features are highlighted, but development is slightly limited and imprecise in places. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant details, though some stages are under-developed or loosely described.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is generally coherent and follows a logical chronological progression from the beginning to the end of the recycling loop. Paragraphing is attempted, with an introduction, an overall statement, and separate body paragraphs tracking different stages of the process. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkward, such as 'At that place the all the stuff' and 'In the sixth step those crushed pieces are transfer for producing plastic pellets'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and logical links between sentences lack the seamless flexibility required for higher bands. Paragraphing could also be more balanced to separate the initial collection and sorting from the later industrial processing stages. This performance aligns with a Band 6.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for describing a process, successfully using terms like 'recycling centre', 'sorting', 'compressing', 'crushed pieces', 'plastic pellets', and 'raw material'. However, there are noticeable lexical and word-form errors throughout the text, such as 'beiginning' (spelling), 'rcycle' (spelling), 'transfer' instead of 'transferred', and awkward phrasing like 'the throwing bottles into the rcycle bin'. Attempts at less common vocabulary are constrained by these recurring slips and inaccuracies. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the core meaning of the diagram, earning a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'This is a man-made cyclic process' and 'After this each of the block crushed into pieces before being washed.' There are, however, several grammatical errors and omissions, particularly missing articles ('throwing bottles into the rcycle bin', 'at the recycling centre'), incorrect verb forms ('each of the block crushed' instead of 'blocks are crushed', 'are transfer'), and preposition misuse ('for producing' vs 'to produce'). While these errors do not completely obscure the overall meaning of the process, they occur frequently enough to impede smooth reading and prevent the response from achieving a Band 6.0.

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

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