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 diagram illustrates the information about a process taken for the recycling of plastic bottles.

Total nine steps are done for the recycling of bottles.

The diagram shows that at the first these bottles are collected by a worker and put it into a recycling box. All the bottles are then collect by a truck which transported it to recycling centre. There all the useful bottles are separated be worker. All the bottles then compressed and make a shape like cube. These bottles are crushed by a machine looks like two wheels moving in opposite direction. The crushed particles sink into water for their washing. After washing which has two faces are used to make plastic pallets. Washed plastics put into machine by one side and pallets are come from another opening. These pallets are heated to make raw materials. Now the different things are made through raw plastics like pencils, shirts, bottles, boxes and bags.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence from disposal and collection through sorting, processing and the production of new goods, and the statement that there are nine steps gives the reader a useful overview. However, the overview is limited: it does not clearly identify the process as a closed cycle, with end products returning to the start. Some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the diagram shows a person placing bottles in a bin, rather than a worker collecting them, and sorting separates acceptable bottles from rejected ones, not simply “useful” bottles. The stages of washing and pellet production are also difficult to follow. A clearer overview and more precise reporting of these key stages would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response generally follows the order of the process, so the reader can trace the bottles from the bin to the finished products. However, the information is presented as one long paragraph, with no clear separation between an overview and the detailed stages. Linking is also repetitive: “All the bottles” and “These bottles” recur, while transitions such as “After washing” and “Now” do not always make the relationship between stages clear. The sentence beginning “After washing which has two faces” is especially difficult to connect to the process. Organise the response into an overview and a sequence of stages, and use clearer references such as “the sorted bottles” or “the resulting pellets” to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed,” “machine,” and “raw materials,” which helps convey the stages. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward for this diagram. “Pallets” is used where the intended term is “pellets,” and “two faces” does not clearly describe the washing stage. Phrases such as “make a shape like cube” and “things are made through raw plastics” are imprecise, while “shirts” is less accurate than the diagram’s T-shirt. Aim for precise process terms and natural collocations, such as “formed into blocks,” “washed,” and “manufactured from recycled plastic.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to describe a sequence using both simple sentences and longer clauses, but grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make the process difficult to understand. Examples include “All the bottles are then collect” and “which transported it,” where verb forms and agreement are faulty. In “put it into a recycling box,” the pronoun does not agree with the plural bottles, and “pallets are come” has an incorrect verb construction. Some sentences also lack clear grammatical connections, particularly “After washing which has two faces are used to make plastic pallets.” Use consistent passive forms for process descriptions—for example, “the bottles are collected,” “they are transported,” and “the plastic is washed”—and check agreement, articles and sentence boundaries.

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