Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 garbage discared by people are collected by the garbage trucks. There are a few organisations which hire people to collect and segregate garbage. These workers usually go to each house and collects waste manually.Then it reaches the recycling centre and the plastic gets sorted. The plastic waste is compressed into blocks. These blocks are basically plastic pressed into blocks making it easier to work with.These blocks of plastic are then crushed and washed simultaneously. These leads to the production of plastic pellets. After which the pellets are then heated in order to form raw material. The raw material is then used to produce useful recycled items such as clothes, stationery. bottles, bags, boxes and many more items that can be sold commercially. The usage of plastic has been increasing rapidy, which ultimately leads to pollution. Recycling plastic in this way will lead to efficient ways of using and reusing plastic.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You describe several central stages accurately, including collection, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating, and making new products. However, the account only partially fulfils the diagram task: it adds unsupported details about organisations, workers visiting each house, and commercial sales, while omitting the recycling bin and collection-truck sequence as shown. The final comments about rising plastic use and pollution are not features of the process, and the response does not clearly summarise the diagram’s closed-loop nature, including how end products can re-enter recycling. Some stages are also unclear: the diagram shows crushing followed by washing, rather than the two happening simultaneously. Focus on the depicted stages and give a concise overview of the loop.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in a sensible order, and linking phrases such as “Then,” “After which,” and “The raw material is then used” help the reader follow the process. However, the response is one continuous paragraph, so the overview and process details are not clearly separated. Some connections are mechanical or unclear, particularly “These leads to the production” and the fragment-like transition “After which the pellets are then heated.” The added comments about pollution and commercial sales also interrupt the progression from one recycling stage to the next. Organise the response into an introduction/overview and a paragraph describing the stages, and use clear references to show how each stage leads to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “segregate,” “compressed,” “crushed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which communicates the main transformations. There are also some imprecise or unnatural choices: “garbage” and “waste” are repeated where “plastic bottles” would be more specific, and “useful recycled items” is vague. “Crushed and washed simultaneously” does not accurately express the sequence, while “efficient ways of using and reusing plastic” is general rather than diagram-focused. Spelling slips such as “discared” and “rapidy” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process terms and check spelling; for example, describe bottles being sorted, compressed, crushed, and then washed.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and attempts at longer structures, and most of the process remains understandable. However, some errors in agreement and sentence construction are noticeable. In “The garbage discared by people are collected,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “These leads” should use a plural verb. “There are a few organisations which hire people…” is grammatically possible but introduces a long, unsupported clause that makes the description less controlled. The sentence beginning “After which” is not a complete sentence, and punctuation is inconsistent, as in “manually.Then.” Use complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and connect stages with accurate clauses such as “The pellets are then heated to form raw material.”

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