Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-08

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 chart given below illustrates the procedure for preparing old plastic bottles for use.

Here, we have different sets of steps who shows the procedure for recycling plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are collected from the bin and transferred to the sorting center; after that, it compresed, after crushing it converted into raw material, which is used for making different products.

We collect old, used plastic bottles from the bin, and through a garbage truck we take them to sorting centers where we choose the perfect ones for recycling. After that sorting process, we compress them into a block because those compressed blocks are crushed easily, and now we wash that crushed material with an automatic machine. After washing and drying that crushed material, we have a machine which convert that crushed material into raw material by heating it. Now we pack that raw material into bags, which help us to transport it. Now we convert that raw material into useful products, and after using those products, it is thrown into a bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main subject and give a broad account of the sequence, from collection and sorting through processing to the manufacture and disposal of products. However, the account only partially covers the diagram’s key features. The overview is vague, and several details are inaccurate or invented: the diagram shows acceptable and rejected bottles being separated, but not “perfect ones”; it shows pellets being heated to form raw material, rather than the crushed material being converted directly; and it does not show drying or raw material being packed into bags. The final products are also not specified. To strengthen the response, describe the sorting decision and the pellet-making stage accurately, and make clear that the process is a cycle returning to the recycling bin.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has some organisation: it begins with an introduction, gives a brief summary, and then follows the process in broadly chronological order. Linking expressions such as “after that,” “now,” and “after using those products” help signal sequence. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the first two paragraphs repeat the collection and sorting stages, and the later account compresses several distinct stages into one. The repeated use of “Now” also makes the linking mechanical, while “it” and “that crushed material” do not always make the reference or process stage precise. Use one concise overview followed by a step-by-step description, with varied sequencing language and clear nouns such as “the pellets” and “the raw material.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough process-related vocabulary to communicate the general topic, including “sorting centers,” “compress,” “crushed,” “raw material,” and “products.” There is also some useful variation in describing the bottles as “old” and “used.” However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for this diagram. “Preparing old plastic bottles for use” is less direct than “recycling plastic bottles,” and “choose the perfect ones” does not accurately describe sorting recyclable from rejected bottles. “Garbage truck” and “automatic machine” are understandable but less precise than “collection truck” and “processing machine.” Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations, and avoid repeating “raw material” and “crushed material” when the stage changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a sequence joined with “after,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, control is uneven, particularly in longer clauses. For example, “different sets of steps who shows” has faulty agreement and an unsuitable relative pronoun, while “it compresed” and “a machine which convert” contain verb-form or agreement errors. The sentence beginning “after crushing it converted” also lacks a clear grammatical subject and auxiliary. Articles and number are inconsistent in phrases such as “into a block” and “sorting centers,” and some comma-linked clauses would be clearer as separate sentences. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete clauses, then use a few controlled complex sentences to describe the stages.

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