Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-06

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 steps involved in the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, the process consists of eight different steps, starting with collecting bottles from bins and ending with producing products. The process also goes through several steps like sorting, compressing into blocks, crushing, and turning them into raw materials.

The first step involved in recycling plastic bottles was collecting used bottles from dustbins and delivering them to a recycling centre by transport. In the centre, bottles are sorted into different boxes, and useless products are thrown away. In the next step, the plastic is compressed into blocks, crushed with a machine, and washed in water.

After this, the plastic bottle pellets are produced and then heated them to form raw material in 2nd last step, the raw material is made, and it is used to form several products like T-shirts, plastic bottles, and bags.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, as it attempts to cover the main stages of the recycling process, but it falls slightly short of the minimum word count requirement, coming in at 146 words. An overview is provided, noting the start and end of the cycle along with several intermediate steps, though some details are described in a rather limited way. For instance, the transition from pellets to raw material and finally to end products is compressed and lacks full extension. While the main features of the diagram are generally identified, the mechanical description of every step without deeper synthesis or comparison keeps the development restricted. To reach a higher level, the response would need to safely exceed the word count threshold and provide a more fully developed, cohesive overview that synthesises key trends and stages across the entire diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information chronologically. The response opens with an introductory sentence and an overview paragraph, followed by two body paragraphs detailing the sequential steps. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'The first step', 'In the next step', and 'After this' are employed to guide the reader through the stages of the diagram, though their usage can occasionally feel a bit mechanical. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction and overview from the detailed process steps, but the progression of ideas occasionally stumbles due to abrupt transitions between sentences. To achieve a higher band, the logical flow between sentences needs to be smoother, ensuring referencing is consistently clear and cohesive devices are integrated more naturally without relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic process concepts with words like 'recycling centre', 'sorting', 'compressing', 'crushed', and 'pellets'. However, the range remains limited and repetitive, with noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as referring to 'useless products are thrown away' instead of waste material being discarded. There are also occasional awkward collocations and word forms. To improve lexical resource, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of less common vocabulary and precise functional language suited to describing technical or manufacturing processes, while maintaining strict accuracy in word choice and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting various clauses to describe the sequential stages. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are noticeable errors in verb forms and tense consistency, such as switching between past tense ('was collecting') and present tense ('are sorted', 'is compressed'), as well as awkward infinitive constructions like 'then heated them to form raw material'. Prepositional and article errors also occur, which can occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To move up to a higher band, the writer must produce a greater proportion of error-free sentences, maintain consistent tense control when describing continuous processes, and refine complex syntactic structures.

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

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