Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-07

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 procees for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, the procees has nine stages. starting with the collection of used plastic bottles and ending is produced and new products.The process is continousily recyle in which old bottles.

On the one hand , plastic bottles are put into special bin than they are collect into truck and transport into recycling area At the center the bottles are sortined and seprated before being compressing into blocks.

Next, the box are crushed into small pieces these pieces are washed and produced to produces plastic pellets The pellets are susequently heating from a raw plastic materials.

Finally , The material used manufactured a new producet include new plastic bottles , containers, clothings and other items these products can later be recycled again, allowing the cycle to continue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing and pellet production, and you identify the creation of new products and the continuing cycle. The overview also correctly notes that there are nine stages. However, some details are unclear or incomplete: the account does not clearly explain that the pellets are heated to form raw material before that material is used to make products, and the sorting stage’s separation of acceptable and rejected bottles is only briefly mentioned. The response is also 16 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail you can provide. Develop the overview and clarify the later stages to make the process more fully reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by stages in sequence, with “Next” and “Finally” helping the reader follow the process. The paragraphing also separates the main parts of the cycle. This gives the account coherent progression. However, some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “ending is produced and new products” and “The pellets are susequently heating from a raw plastic materials,” which make the sequence difficult to follow. The opening “On the one hand” is not a natural way to introduce the first stage of a process, and spacing and punctuation are inconsistent. Use straightforward sequencing language and ensure each sentence clearly connects one stage to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling,” “compressing into blocks,” “crushed,” “washed,” “plastic pellets” and “raw material.” These terms show an appropriate attempt to describe the diagram. However, the range is limited, and noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “procees,” “continousily,” “sortined,” “seprated,” “susequently” and “producet.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “produced to produces plastic pellets” and “the material used manufactured a new producet.” Choose accurate verbs for each stage, such as “converted into,” “heated to form” and “used to manufacture.” Proofreading spelling and avoiding repeated use of “products” would make the description clearer and more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the sequence is generally understandable. For example, “these pieces are washed” uses a suitable passive construction for a process description. However, some sentence structures and verb forms are inaccurate, as in “starting with the collection … and ending is produced and new products” and “The pellets are susequently heating.” There are also problems with agreement and sentence boundaries, including “the box are crushed” and the run-on after “recycling area.” The final sentence, “The material used manufactured a new producet,” does not clearly express the relationship between material and products. Practise consistent passive forms (“are collected,” “are heated,” “are used”) and check that each sentence has a complete, correctly ordered verb phrase.

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