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 illustrats the process of recycling plastic bottles and reuse them to produce different products.
Overall, this process consist of nine different steps and this process begin with collecting plastic bottles and furthermore, after some steps raw material is produced and which is used in producing different products.
Firstly, bottles are collected in dustbin and after collecting bottles these bottles are collected by garbage van from different locations. Furthermore, these bottles are reached at recycling centre where bottles sorting process is performed and after this process these bottles are compressed into blocks and these bottles are crushed into pieces.
Furthermore, bottles piece are used in producing plastic pellets and this pellets are heated which become formed raw material and furthermore, this pellets are used to produce raw material. This raw material is further used to manufacture different products like T-shirts, new bottles, bags and lunchboxes which is used in daily life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, from collection to end products. An overview is successfully provided, stating that the process consists of nine steps beginning with collection and culminating in the manufacture of new goods. However, certain parts of the process are under-developed or repetitive. For instance, the description of stage seven and eight becomes circular and confusing, stating that 'this pellets are heated which become formed raw material and furthermore, this pellets are used to produce raw material'. While the main features are reported, the lack of precision in describing the intermediary technical steps prevents the response from achieving a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical sequence mirroring the stages of the diagram. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. However, cohesion is heavily mechanical and repetitive, with excessive reliance on transitional markers such as 'furthermore' at the beginning of multiple sentences and clauses. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'after collecting bottles these bottles are collected', which creates a stuttering effect rather than a smooth flow of information.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'recycling centre', 'plastic pellets', and 'raw material'. However, there are notable word choice and word formation errors, such as 'illustrats' (illustrates), 'dustbin' (bin/container), and 'bottles piece' (bottle pieces). The student attempts less common vocabulary but shows noticeable inaccuracy in collocation and inflection, such as referring to plural nouns with singular determiners ('this pellets'). These errors do not completely impede communication but restrict the lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'this process consist' instead of 'consists', and 'bottles are reached at recycling centre' instead of 'arrive at the recycling centre'. Additionally, relative clauses are clumsily constructed, as in 'raw material is produced and which is used'. Punctuation is basic, and frequent grammatical slips cause some distraction for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly within the lower band.
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