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 diagram illustrates the stages followed by recycling centre to recycle plastic products.

Overall, recycling of plastic materials by collecting from local areas to one designated recycling place, then it compressed into blocks. Furthermore, it goes into particular machine for crushing and washing, then produces plastic pellets as a raw material to prepare various kinds of end products.

To begin with, the recycling starts from collection of plastic wastes from bin and transported to recycling center. Where the speration of plastic take places. Spertated plastic is cmprossed in block which is crushed in pieces by the help of two rollers and washed it by using special solution.

Washed pieces of plastic are converted into pallets by machine, which is heated for formation of raw material. The processed raw material is used to make variety of plastic items such as bottles, clothes, raincoat, and plenty of varieties also after use the

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main stages and give an overview of the process, including collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and the creation of new products. This covers the central sequence, and the overview shows that you understand the recycling cycle. Some details, however, are incomplete or inaccurate: the diagram shows accepted bottles being sorted from rejected items, but this distinction is not explained, and the process is a closed loop, which your final unfinished phrase (“after use the”) does not clearly describe. The examples of “raincoat” and “plenty of varieties” are not shown; the diagram instead depicts items such as food containers, a T-shirt, pencils and a carrier bag. The main features are present, but fuller and more precise reporting would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the stages in sequence. Linking expressions such as “To begin with,” “Furthermore” and “then” help guide the reader through the process. However, some connections are awkward or unclear. The sentence beginning “Where the speration…” is a fragment, and the final sentence stops at “after use the,” leaving the cycle’s return to the recycling bin unexplained. The overview also compresses several stages into one long sequence, making the relationships between them less clear. Use complete sentences, group stages more deliberately, and explicitly connect the end products back to collection to show the loop.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushing,” “washed,” “pellets” and “raw material,” which helps communicate the stages. There is some variation in how you describe the process, but control of word choice and spelling is inconsistent and sometimes makes the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “speration,” “Spertated,” “cmprossed” and “pallets”; the intended terms appear to be “separation,” “separated,” “compressed” and “pellets.” Some phrases are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “particular machine” and “plenty of varieties.” Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations, and use the diagram’s specific product examples rather than vague wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the sequence is generally understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven, particularly in sentence construction and verb forms. For example, “Overall, recycling of plastic materials by collecting from local areas…” is not a complete, well-formed sentence, while “Where the speration of plastic take places” is a fragment with an incorrect verb form. In “Washed pieces of plastic are converted into pallets by machine, which is heated,” the reference of “which” is unclear. The final sentence is also incomplete. Practise forming complete clauses, maintaining clear subjects and verbs, and checking agreement and articles—for example, “the plastic is collected” and “the pellets are heated.”

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.