Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-05
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 procedure for recycling the platic bottles.
Overall, the process for recycling the plastic bottles through nine different stages. The procedure begins with dumping plastic bottles in recycle bin and ends with producing different products from plastic bottles.
Initially, people bin plastic bottles after that garbage truck takes plastic bottles to the recycling centre for sorting the bottles. Furthermore, the bottles are compressed into blocks, than the blocks pass through the crusching machine are converted blocks into pieces. In addition, the pieces go to a water tank for washing.
On the other hand, the washing pieces go through a machine to produce plastic pellets. After that the pellets are heated to create raw material from the plastic pellets. The raw material is distributed to factories to make different kinds of products. Mostly industries industries recycle the plastic bottles into tin boxes to carry their lunch
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, providing an overview and outlining the sequence from dumping to producing end products. However, the task is only partially addressed because the length requirement of 150 words is not met, falling just short at 148 words. Additionally, some ideas are under-developed or inaccurately reported, such as the concluding claim that industries recycle plastic bottles into 'tin boxes to carry their lunch,' which misinterprets the diagram's depiction of food containers and general end products. To reach a higher band, the writer must ensure all visual details are interpreted accurately without introducing outside assumptions, while fully satisfying the minimum word count.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is some basic organization present, with the response divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, there is no clear overall progression due to mechanical and repetitive use of cohesive devices, such as starting consecutive sentences with 'After that' and 'In addition.' Paragraphing is somewhat rudimentary, and referencing between steps occasionally lacks clarity, leading to a choppy flow. To improve, the writer should employ a wider and more natural range of transition markers to link the stages of the process smoothly and establish a more sophisticated logical flow throughout the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to describe the steps in the diagram. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'platic' (spelling), 'crusching', and 'washing pieces' instead of 'washed pieces,' which cause some difficulty for the reader. The writer attempts some less common terms like 'compressing' and 'raw material,' but overall control remains restricted. To achieve a higher lexical band, the writer needs to expand their vocabulary range, eliminate basic spelling and word-form errors, and demonstrate greater precision in describing industrial processes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent grammatical errors. There are issues with article usage, such as 'in recycle bin' instead of 'in a recycling bin,' and incorrect verb forms like 'than the blocks pass through the crusching machine are converted blocks into pieces.' Frequent structural errors and awkward phrasing persist across the text, causing difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer must work on complex sentence formation, accurate subject-verb agreement, and correct prepositional and article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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