Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-09

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 given diagram iluustrates the information about the process of recycling plastic bottels.

Overall,there are nine steps which are used the recycling of plastic bottles. All the steps are interlinked with each other, omission of any step may halt the whole process.

After analyzing, it can be clearly seen that in the first step, people through the plastic bottels in dustbin. IN the next step,the plastic bottels transported in facotories the help of lorry, after that, the plastic bottels are sorting in recycling centre. Afterwords, plastic bottels are compressing into blocks.

The diagram further collates that, in the subsequent step, bottels are crushing by crushing machine, bottels are washed by water. After washing bottels are producing plastic pellets by machine. Nextly,the heating bottels spreted into raw material. Raw materials produced many things. In the final step, products are ready by raw material like a containers, pens,clothes and so on.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having nine stages and describe its broad movement from disposal and collection through processing to new products, which gives the reader a relevant outline. However, some key details are unclear or inaccurate: bottles are taken to a recycling centre, not “factories,” and the sorting stage separates suitable bottles from rejected items, which you do not explain. The account of heating is also difficult to interpret, and the final products are only partly represented. The overview that omitting a step may halt the process is not a central feature shown by the diagram; a clearer overview would emphasise the recycling loop and the transformation of bottles into raw material and new goods. The response is one word below the required minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “in the first step,” “Afterwords,” and “In the final step” help show the order. However, progression within the process paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several stages are joined in long, loosely connected sentences, for example the account of crushing, washing and pellet production. Some transitions are repetitive or awkward, and the overview’s comment about omitting a step interrupts the description rather than summarising the main pattern. Use one clear sentence for each group of stages and connect them with accurate, varied sequencing language.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “compressing into blocks,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw material,” so the general subject is recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word-choice or spelling problems make parts of the process hard to understand. “Bottels” and “iluustrates” are misspelled, while “through the plastic bottles in dustbin” and “heating bottles spreted into raw material” do not express the intended actions clearly. “Nextly” and “collates” are also unnatural in this context. Aim for precise process verbs and standard collocations, such as “are transported,” “are crushed,” and “are converted into.” Proofreading spelling would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “Overall, there are nine steps…” and “After analyzing, it can be clearly seen that…”. However, grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes obscure the sequence or meaning. Passive forms are often incomplete or incorrectly formed: “the plastic bottles transported” needs an auxiliary, and “bottles are sorting” should use a past participle. The sentence “After washing bottles are producing plastic pellets by machine” also has an incorrect subject and verb pattern. Articles and sentence boundaries are inconsistent, as in “in dustbin” and the run-on sequence describing crushing and washing. Practise consistent present-simple passive constructions for process descriptions and separate each stage into a complete sentence.

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