Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-22

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 process for recycling plastic bottles in different stages.

Overall, the recycling commenced with the collection of plastic bottles and containers from garbage. These bottles are then tranformed to recycling factory through trucks. The bottles have to undergo through different stages to produce a variety of products.

Initially, plastic bottles are collected from domestic and industrial waste. The stocks of bottles are loaded in a truck to tansform the mass to recycling center. In a recycling factory, the bottles are seperated in different compartments according to specific category. In the next step, the bottles are compressed in to blocks and then crushed in a machine. The crushed particles are washed in a container to produce plastic pellets. Subsequently, the pellest are heated to form different kind of raw materials. In the next stage, the raw material are assembled together to form sheets. These sheets are packed by binding with rope. Eventually, the sheets are utilized to produce different products such as clothes, stationary and plastic containers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, from the initial collection to the final production of end products, satisfying the basic requirements of Task 1. The overview correctly identifies that the process consists of different stages and begins with collection, though it is slightly repetitive. However, there are a few minor inaccuracies and departures from the visual data: the text mentions that 'raw material are assembled together to form sheets' and 'packed by binding with rope,' details which are not supported by the diagram (which simply shows pellets heated to form raw material, stored on a pallet, and then used for end products). Overall, the information is generally reported, but these slight misinterpretations prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement, following the chronological sequence of the diagram using appropriate transition signals and cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'In the next step', 'Subsequently', and 'Eventually'. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction and overview from the body details. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, such as the awkward transition in the second paragraph ('These bottles are then tranformed to recycling factory through trucks'). Progression is generally logical, but paragraphing could be structured more effectively by separating the overview into its own distinct paragraph rather than grouping it with the introduction.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'recycling factory', 'compressed', 'crushed', 'plastic pellets', and 'raw material'. However, there are several noticeable spelling errors ('tranformed' instead of transformed, 'tansform' instead of transport/transfer, 'seperated' instead of separated, 'pellest' instead of pellets, 'stationary' instead of stationery) and awkward word choices ('garbage' instead of waste/households). While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect a Band 6 level where lexical control is inconsistent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing passive structures appropriately in places (e.g., 'the bottles are compressed in to blocks'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and lapses in control, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the raw material are assembled') and preposition errors ('undergo through', 'compressed in to'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the grammatical errors across the text are noticeable and indicate that the writer does not yet have consistent control over complex sentence forms.

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.