Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30
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 methods used for recycling plastic bottles.
First and foremost, throw the plastic waste in a garbage bin followed by collecting the waste from the bin by recycling truck and droping it at a recycling center where the waste is sorted into two categories, one is for good waste and other for bad waste. Furthermore, waste are compressed into the shape of a block which later undergoes the process of crushing. In addition, the crushed plastic are directly falling inside a container filled with water to wash out the dust particle. Moving forward, the plastic waste is converted into plastic pallets with the help of a machine and then those pallets are heated to form raw material. Moreover, this raw material are manufactured in a form of useful products like bottles, clothes and many more.
Overall, this process continues repeatedly. There is no end to this process.
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 all the main stages of the recycling process depicted in the diagram, from discarding the bottles in a bin to producing new end products that feed back into the cycle. However, the tone and style are unsuited to an Academic Task 1 response, as the writer uses imperative language ('throw the plastic waste in a garbage bin') rather than an objective summary. Furthermore, the overview is extremely brief and simplistic ('Overall, this process continues repeatedly. There is no end to this process'). While the progression of steps is correctly identified and reported, the lack of an objective, formal academic register and underdeveloped overview limits the score to Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a basic logical organisation by following the chronological steps of the diagram using sequencing transitions such as 'First and foremost', 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'Moving forward'. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, with almost the entire body of the response crammed into a single, dense paragraph, followed by a very short, two-line concluding paragraph. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or overused, and the referencing within sentences is occasionally clunky (e.g., 'waste are', 'crushed plastic are directly falling'). Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow, earning a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'recycling center', 'sorted', 'compressed', 'crushing', 'plastic pallets', and 'raw material'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'good waste and other for bad waste' and 'dust particle' instead of 'impurities' or 'debris'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but grammatical constraints on vocabulary (e.g., plurals and verb-noun agreements like 'waste are') reveal limitations. The lexical range is sufficient for the task but lacks precision, fitting the Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptors well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures mixed with some passive voice attempts (e.g., 'waste are compressed', 'plastic waste is converted'), but these are marred by frequent grammatical errors in subject-verb agreement and preposition use. For instance, the writer states 'throw the plastic waste in a garbage bin followed by collecting' (missing subject and faulty parallelism) and 'crushed plastic are directly falling' (plural/singular mismatch). Punctuation is basic, and complex sentences often contain errors that strain clarity. This performance aligns with Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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