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 flow chart illustrates the cycle for recycling plastic bottles from trashing out to production end product.

Overall, there are nine steps involved in reprocessing the plastic bottles. Firstly, When individuals threw them in dustbin, truck used as medium to bring into recycle center. In recycling center, they get sorted by particular person on basis of acceptable or unacceptable plastic. Secondly, good plastic went for squeezing, crushing and washing.

The machine is used for producing plastic pellets when good plastic bumbard in it. Heat supports to convert the pellets to shape into raw material.

Finally, raw material used to make products that are widely used in production which include plastic boxes, shirts, bags and pencils

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as a cycle and report several key stages, including collection, sorting, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating and making new products. However, the account is incomplete and some details are unclear: the sorting stage’s rejection of unsuitable bottles is only broadly described, and the compression stage is not clearly distinguished from crushing. The overview says there are nine steps, but the stages are not fully and accurately traced, including the return from end products to the recycling bin. The response also contains 115 words, below the required 150, so there is not enough development to cover the diagram fully. Add a clear overview and describe each stage in sequence, including the loop back to the start.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic progression from disposal and collection through processing to the production of new goods. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the broad stages. However, the organisation is not consistently clear: “Secondly” introduces several processing stages at once, while the next paragraph begins without a linking expression. The sentence about the machine and pellets is also difficult to connect to the preceding description. Use separate, logically grouped paragraphs for the overview and the stages, and link each stage explicitly with phrases such as “After sorting” and “Once washed.” This would make the progression more coherent and reduce reliance on basic sequencing words.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “cycle,” “sorted,” “crushing,” “washing,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited, and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing the diagram. “Trashing out” does not clearly mean placing bottles in a recycling bin, “squeezing” is less precise than describing compression into blocks, and “bumbard” is not an appropriate word for plastic entering a machine. “Production end product” is also awkward and imprecise. Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations, such as “deposit bottles,” “compress them into blocks,” and “manufacture new products.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the overall meaning can usually be understood. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in tense, articles, agreement and sentence construction. For example, “When individuals threw them in dustbin, truck used as medium” shifts into past tense and omits necessary articles and a main verb. “Heat supports to convert the pellets to shape into raw material” has an unclear grammatical structure, while “raw material used to make products” lacks an auxiliary verb. Use the present simple consistently for a process, and check that each clause has a clear subject and verb. Shorter, accurate sentences would help before attempting more complex structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.