Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-02
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 shows the complete process for recycling plastic bottles in several steps.
Overall, this process has nine steps and initially it starts with throwing plastic bottles to dustibin and producing end products from plastic , it is a automatic circular process.
The people throw plastic in dustbins and a garbage collector collects all the plastic bottles , then in sorting center the workers sort the plastic , then next process is compressing the large amount of plastic in one block , follwed by crushing bottle into small picies , after that washing it .
Afterwards, making plastic pellets to become raw materials by heating pellets , then followed by raw material and next step is to store the raw material , then from the raw material make a products like a plastic box , t-shirts, recycable bags, and pencil and more , these are the nine complete process of recycling.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by covering the entire nine-step recycling process depicted in the diagram, from discarding the bottles to producing end products. An overview is provided, noting that it is an automatic circular process. However, some stages are more fully developed than others, and certain details are treated somewhat superficially or repetitively, such as the descriptions around raw materials. While the main features are reported and comparisons are not strictly required for this type of process diagram, the overall development of ideas remains slightly limited and under-developed in places, keeping the response at this level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows the chronological sequence of the diagram using basic cohesive devices such as 'then', 'afterwards', and 'following'. Paragraphing is attempted, although the division of ideas could be structured more logically. Referencing and logical progression are occasionally mechanical or repetitive, particularly with the excessive use of conjunctions like 'then' to link consecutive steps. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to employ a wider and more sophisticated variety of cohesive devices and ensure smoother transitions between the stages of the process without relying on run-on sentence structures.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic actions such as 'sorting', 'compressing', 'crushing', and 'washing'. However, the range is limited, and there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'dustibin' instead of dustbin, 'picies' instead of pieces, 'follwed' instead of followed, and 'recycable' instead of recyclable. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but these errors and occasional awkward phrasings, such as 'make a products', occasionally impact precision. A greater variety of precise, accurate terminology related to manufacturing and recycling is required to reach a higher level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though attempts at longer sentences often result in run-on structures, such as the lengthy second sentence of the second paragraph. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing or incorrect articles ('throwing plastic bottles to dustibin', 'in sorting center'), punctuation issues, and preposition misuse. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to restrict the score. To improve, the student must work on sentence boundary punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and the accurate use of articles and prepositions within grammatical patterns.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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