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 illustrates the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall the process has nine stages. It begins with collecting the plastic bottles and ends with production of new products and it includes compressing and crushing in between.

At the first stage the used plastic bottles in the recycle bin and a lorry container picks up the bin and transports it to the recycling center for the sorting and next stage is compressing the plastic bottles into blocks, after the blocks are prepared then the blocks are placed into the crushing machine, the crushed material takes part in the washing after they cleaned up.

The sixth process is to place the washed material in the producing plastic pellets in the next stage the plastic pellets are left to be heated and the heating pellets to from raw material. The raw material is prepared in the eighth stage and the final stage is producing end products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to cover all parts of the prompt by describing the overall process of recycling plastic bottles, but the development of key stages is somewhat limited and uneven. The overview mentions that the process has nine stages and outlines the start and end points, which is a positive feature. However, the details provided for the intermediate steps rely heavily on a chain-like listing of actions rather than fully expanding on how the stages interconnect. For instance, the description of sorting and crushing in the middle section lacks clarity and omits some logical links between the recycling centre actions and the creation of raw materials. To move to a higher band, the response would need to select and report the main features more clearly and extend the descriptions of the mechanical and chemical processes shown in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows the linear sequence of the diagram from start to finish. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division could be managed more effectively to separate the overview from the detailed body steps. Cohesive devices are used, but they tend to be repetitive and mechanical, relying on continuous linking phrases like 'and then', 'after', and 'in the next stage' rather than a flexible range of referencing and substitution. While the information generally follows a logical order, the lack of punctuation and run-on sentences in the second body paragraph disrupts the flow and makes the progression harder to follow. Developing a greater variety of cohesive devices and tighter paragraph structure would improve this score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific terms from the visual prompt such as 'recycling center', 'compressing', 'crushing', and 'plastic pellets'. However, the range of vocabulary remains limited and repetitive, with frequent reliance on basic words. There are also notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word forms, such as 'the heating pellets to from raw material', where the preposition and verb forms are misused. Spelling is generally accurate for common terms, but the lack of precise control over less common vocabulary and collocations restricts the lexical score. Expanding the repertoire of descriptive verbs and nouns relating to manufacturing and industrial processes would help elevate the lexical quality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, consisting mostly of lengthy, unpunctuated simple or run-on sentences. For example, the sentence starting with 'At the first stage...' runs on excessively without internal punctuation, joining multiple distinct clauses together incorrectly. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding missing verbs, incorrect prepositions, and faulty clause structures, such as 'used plastic bottles in the recycle bin and a lorry container picks up'. Punctuation is largely neglected, which causes confusion and places a heavy burden on the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence forms, use correct tense and voice combinations suited for process descriptions, and control basic punctuation.

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

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