Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-13

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 given process chart illustrates the process of recycling plastic bottles involves nine different stages from throwing till the producing end products.

Overall, the given chart desecribe that from the plastic bottles which was not in use for one used by other to make new goods.

Firstly, the plastic waste or plastic bottles was thrown into the dustbin or recycle bin, than this waste in collected by the waste garbage van from there waste was then reached to the Recycling centre: sorting here the plastic bottles are seperated by the workers for further process.

After seperating these bottles passed through the process called compressing in this stage all bottles are compressed in the block before send it to crushing. In crushing bottles are cursed into the machines to form a small particles, furthermore these particles moved in washing to clean the waste from the particles. After that producing of plastic pellets is done, to make in raw material heating of pelletes was done. Now the raw material is preapred for that production plastic tiffin box, pencils, pens, plastic bags, t-shirts and many more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing and processing into pellets and raw material. The overview also recognises the reuse cycle, and your examples of possible products show awareness of the final stage. However, the account is less complete at the end: it does not clearly explain that the raw material is used to produce end products and that the process loops back to the recycling bin. Some details are also imprecise, such as saying bottles are “cursed” by machines and describing the bin as a dustbin or recycling bin without distinguishing the recycling route. To strengthen the response, report the final stages and the closed loop explicitly, using the diagram’s labels accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows the process in a generally logical order, and sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “After,” “After that” and “Now” help the reader track the stages. The opening overview also gives the response a clear starting point. However, most of the information is packed into one long body paragraph, so the overview and stage-by-stage account are not clearly separated. Some links are mechanical or unclear, particularly “After seperating these bottles passed through the process,” where the relationship between the stages is difficult to follow. Use a separate overview paragraph and group the stages into clear phases, such as collection and sorting, then processing and reuse. More precise referencing and sentence boundaries would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “washing,” “pellets” and “raw material,” which allows you to describe the main stages. There is also some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “further process” and “new goods.” However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices are noticeable, including “desecribe,” “seperated,” “pelletes” and “preapred.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “dustbin,” “waste garbage van,” and “cursed into the machines” do not clearly describe the diagram. Aim for accurate process collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, use “collection truck,” “crushed into small pieces” and “manufacture new products.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the sequence is usually understandable. However, some errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “the process … involves” is awkwardly joined to “illustrates,” while “the plastic bottles was thrown” has incorrect agreement and passive form. In “than this waste in collected,” the connector and verb form are also incorrect. Several clauses run together, as in the sentence beginning “After seperating these bottles,” making the structure harder to follow. Practise forming clear passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The bottles are collected and taken to a recycling centre,” and use full stops to separate stages. This will help you retain complex ideas with more reliable grammar.

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

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