Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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 step wise process by which the plastic bottles are recycled. Overall, this process consists of 9 stages, beginning with the people putting the used plastic bottles in a trash container. The bottles are taken up to the recycling center by the managements. These bottles are sorted in a speciallized containers.Following this, they are placed in a machine which further compress them into blocks. These blocks are then crushed in an another machine which grind them into pieces, which are known as pellets. These plastic pellets are placed in a machine to grind them. Subsequently, after getting them to be heated, these are converted into a raw material. Which are further designed in the factories to produce plastic utensils such as bottles and boxes, that we mostly store food in it and other importants things, such as pencils and shirts. This process of recycling continues everytime the bottles are found in trashcan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a recycling process, give an overall sequence of nine stages, and describe the main route from disposal through collection and processing to new products. However, some important details are inaccurate or unclear. In particular, the bottles are sorted into accepted and rejected groups, then compressed, crushed and washed; the response says the crushed pieces are “known as pellets,” although pellets are produced after washing in a separate stage. The description also says the pellets are put in a machine “to grind them,” rather than heated to form raw material. The range of end products is partly captured, but the account should report the stages more precisely and explain that the final products feed back into the recycling loop.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the process in broadly chronological order and uses signposting such as “Overall,” “Following this,” and “Subsequently,” so the reader can recognise the general sequence. However, it is presented as one long paragraph, and several transitions do not clearly distinguish the separate stages. For example, the move from crushing to pellets and then to heating is confusing because washing and pellet production are not clearly reported as distinct steps. The sentence beginning “Which are further designed” is also an unclear continuation, while the final sentence repeats the idea of recycling without adding much. Grouping the overview separately from the detailed stages and using clearer links between each step would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycled,” “sorted,” “compress,” “blocks,” “crushed,” and “raw material,” which helps communicate the topic. The range is nevertheless limited, and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward: “managements” does not clearly identify the collection service, “speciallized containers” misrepresents the sorting stage, and “designed in the factories” is not a natural way to describe making products. There are also spelling errors such as “speciallized” and “importants.” Aim for precise process terms and natural collocations, especially for the washing, pellet-making and heating stages. This would make the description clearer without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex sentences, including clauses linked with “which” and time expressions such as “after getting them to be heated.” However, these structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make relationships between stages difficult to follow. Examples include “the machine which further compress them,” where the verb does not agree with its subject, and “in an another machine,” where the article is incorrect. “Which are further designed” is a sentence fragment, and “things, such as pencils and shirts” has an unclear grammatical connection to the preceding clause. The final phrase “store food in it” also has an unclear pronoun reference. Use shorter, complete sentences and check agreement, articles, and clause boundaries before attempting longer constructions.

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