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 picture illustrates the whole process for recycling platic bottles and pointing out the each stage of this process. Following is the detail of how plastic bottles are recycled.

First stage of the process begins where people put their used items in the dust bins. Followed by the picking of the used items by the dedicated vehicles, which then transfers the items to the recycling center for the sorting of recycleable items. Fourth stage is where the sorted items compressed into the blocks. At 5th stage compressed items are then crushed in crushing process, afterwards the crushed material are washed out to remove impurities. Plastic pellets are then produced in the machine, following this heat of these pellets done to get raw materials and the cycle repeats.

At last, the recycling process is done in several stages and most importantly it is continuous circular process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, starting from throwing items into bins and moving through sorting, crushing, washing, pellet production, and back to manufacturing new end products. However, the response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, coming in at 145 words, which must be penalized. Furthermore, the description skips some finer details and lacks a well-developed overview paragraph, presenting a somewhat mechanical narration of the numbered stages. While the information is mostly accurate according to the diagram, the lack of length and slightly underdeveloped overview pull this criterion down.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a basic logical organisation by following the sequence of the diagram chronologically. The writer uses some cohesive devices and transition markers such as 'First stage', 'Followed by', 'afterwards', and 'At last'. However, paragraphing is somewhat problematic; the text is divided into three very short paragraphs, with the second paragraph attempting to cover too many sequential steps in a clumped manner. Reference words and logical connectors are sometimes used mechanically or awkwardly, such as 'Followed by the picking of the used items' leading into a fragmented clause structure. Overall coherence is maintained, but the paragraphing and transitional flow need better control.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for describing the process, featuring topic-related terms like 'recycling center', 'sorting', 'compressed', 'crushed', 'impurities', and 'plastic pellets'. However, there are notable spelling and word-form errors, such as 'platic' instead of 'plastic', 'recycleable' instead of 'recyclable', and awkward phrasing like 'heat of these pellets done'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic verbs and nouns from the prompt. Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, although many complex attempts contain grammatical errors or awkward phrasing. Examples include 'First stage of the process begins where people put their used items in the dust bins' (missing article) and 'Fourth stage is where the sorted items compressed into the blocks' (missing auxiliary verb 'are'). There are frequent minor errors in article usage, preposition selection, and voice, such as 'heat of these pellets done to get raw materials'. While these errors rarely completely impede understanding, they demonstrate a lack of consistent grammatical control.

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