Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-14

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 process for recycling plastic bottles. We will discuss all points one by one.

To begin with initial part of diagram we can see a boy who threw a bottle into a basket and when the workers find it full of bottles, they pick it up and put in their loader car. After that, the bottles are sorted in recycling centre and put it into small baskets.

Moreover, compressing bottles into blocks. After that, machines crush the bottles into small pieces and then wash the pieces to kill germs. Producing plastic pellets and heating pellets to form raw material. Raw material is one thing that can be used to make clothes and various products such as new bottles, boxes, shirts, pencils, and also things related to it. So this is process of converting waste material in raw material and then into new products. In addition, the products made by raw material or regenerated could be used for a long time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main stages from disposal and collection through sorting, processing and making new products, and your final sentence recognises the overall transformation from waste into reusable material. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram shows bottles sorted into accepted and rejected groups, not “small baskets,” and it does not say washing is done “to kill germs.” The account also omits the return arrow that completes the cycle, and the raw material stage is not clearly distinguished from the products made from it. To develop the report further, give a concise overview of the circular process and describe the stages in sequence using only information shown in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable sequence, supported by transitions such as “To begin with,” “After that,” and “Moreover.” The reader can follow the movement from collection to processing and products. However, the organisation is not consistently clear: “Moreover, compressing bottles into blocks” is a fragment rather than a complete step, while “Producing plastic pellets and heating pellets…” is presented as a list and does not clearly connect the stages. The opening promise to discuss “all points one by one” is also unnecessary, and the final comments about products being used for a long time do not advance the process description. Group the stages into clear paragraphs and use linking phrases to show each transition precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “sorted,” “compressing,” “crush,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw material,” which helps communicate the subject. There is some variety in the examples of end products. However, several choices are imprecise or informal for an academic process report: “basket” and “loader car” do not accurately name the recycling bin and collection truck, and “small baskets” misrepresents the sorting boxes. Phrases such as “things related to it” and “one thing that can be used” are vague, while “regenerated” is not a natural description of the material here. Choose specific terms from the diagram and avoid conversational filler so the stages and outputs are described more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including a time clause in “when the workers find it full of bottles” and a sequence joined with “and then.” However, control is uneven, and several sentences are incomplete or awkwardly formed. “Moreover, compressing bottles into blocks” lacks a main verb, and “Producing plastic pellets and heating pellets to form raw material” is another fragment. In “they pick it up and put in their loader car,” the object reference is unclear and the second verb lacks an object. The opening shifts from the diagram’s general process to “We will discuss,” and “a boy who threw” uses an unsuitable past-tense construction for describing a diagram. Use consistent present tense and make each process step a complete sentence.

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