Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-12

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 following diagram illustrates the complete process used for recycling the plastic bottles.

Overall, the whole diagram gives us informatoin about nine different steps used in the process for recycling plastic, from the dropping of a used bottle into recycle bin to the complete production of new bottle and other products.

The diagram tells us that how plastic bottles are recycled. At first, a person is throwing a bottle into a recycle bin. Then after a while, a garbage truck comes there to collect that garbage. After collecting the garbage, it goes to a recycling centre where the good bottles are separated from the bad ones. After the process of sorting, the bottles are compressed into blocks and then goes into water for washing after crused by crushers. After this, they are dropped into a machine for the production of plastic pellets and then we heat these plastic pellets into raw materials to produce new products such as bottles, pencils and shirts etc. And after using these products, we again drop these products into a recycle bin.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, processing and making new products, and your overview identifies the process as a series of stages. Most details match the diagram, including separating acceptable bottles from rejected ones and producing pellets before raw material. However, the middle stages are compressed: the account does not clearly distinguish crushing from washing, and it omits that the pellets are heated to form raw material before end products are made. The examples of products are also incomplete, and the final return to the bin could be described more precisely as the loop shown. A clearer overview of the recycling cycle and fuller explanation of these stages would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows the process in a generally logical order, and the opening, overview and subsequent description give it a recognisable structure. Sequencing expressions such as “At first,” “Then,” and “After this” help readers follow the stages. However, most of the detailed account is placed in one long paragraph, and several transitions are repetitive or vague, particularly “After collecting the garbage” and “After the process of sorting.” The final sentence combines heating, raw materials, product examples and the return to recycling, making the sequence less clear. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and stage-by-stage account, and connect each stage with precise references to what happens next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “separated,” “compressed,” and “plastic pellets,” so the main ideas are understandable. There is some useful variation in describing the stages, but several choices are informal or imprecise for an academic process report: “garbage truck,” “good bottles,” “bad ones,” and “dropped into a machine.” Spelling errors such as “informatoin” and “crused” also reduce accuracy. Some phrases are awkward, including “gives us information about” and “complete production of new bottle.” Aim for precise, neutral terms such as “collection truck,” “accepted and rejected bottles,” and “fed into a machine,” and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, errors in sentence structure and verb forms are noticeable, especially in the long sequence of stages. For example, “the bottles are compressed into blocks and then goes into water” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an unclear subject; “they are dropped into a machine … and then we heat” shifts from passive to active construction. The opening “The diagram tells us that how” uses an incorrect clause pattern, while “from the dropping … to the complete production” is awkwardly formed. Use consistent passive forms for a process, such as “the bottles are washed” and “the pellets are heated,” and divide long sentences to improve control.

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