Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 of recycling plastic bottles. Entire cycle of converting plastic waste into usable products is a 9 step process.

It is clear that when someone trash the bottles a truck collect all the waste and take it to the recycling centre for sorting the reuseable and not useable plastic trash. Later on this trash is compressed into a big block for the further useage.

Moreover, the block is sent for crushing where two circular blades cuts the cube into the small peices. Furthermore the next process demonstrate's production of the plastics pellets where the peices are been inserted and it crushes the peices into the small pallets. Next process involves heating pellets at high temperature to form raw material and it is converted into the final product like bottles, pencils tuffins.

Overall, the recycling process describe that how the disposable plastic waste is results into the useful products which can be consumed in the daily life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the subject and give a broad overview of a nine-stage cycle, then describe several key stages in sequence: collection, sorting, compression, crushing, pellet production, heating and the creation of products. This addresses the task and most details are relevant. However, some stages are less fully reported: the washing step is omitted, and the account jumps from raw material to final products without explaining that the raw material is used to make them. The sorting description also says the waste is divided into reusable and unusable plastic, but does not explain that unsuitable bottles are rejected. Include these details and describe the loop more precisely, including how end products return to the recycling bin, to make the process more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression, moving from disposal and collection through processing to end products, and the opening overview helps orient the reader. Connectors such as “Later on,” “Moreover,” “Furthermore” and “Next” make the sequence easy to follow, meeting the lower-band expectations securely. To show more of the next level, vary these links and make the relationships between stages more exact. For example, “the block is sent for crushing” follows logically, but the transition from heating pellets to the final products skips the raw-material stage. The final “Overall” sentence repeats the general idea rather than adding a clear concluding feature. Paragraphing is also limited; separate the overview from the detailed sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “compressed,” “crushing,” “pellets” and “raw material,” so the reader can generally understand the stages. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or misspelled choices make the description less precise: “trash” is repeated, “peices” and “reuseable” are misspelled, and “tuffins” does not clearly identify an end product. Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “for the further useage” and “the small pallets.” Aim for accurate process terms and collocations rather than repeating general words. For instance, distinguish plastic “waste” from “bottles,” and use “pellets” consistently for the small plastic pieces produced by the machine.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning “when” and “where,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is uneven, with errors in agreement, verb forms and sentence construction. Examples include “a truck collect” and “two circular blades cuts,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “the peices are been inserted,” which has an incorrect passive form. “The recycling process describe that how…” also has an incorrect verb form and clause structure. Use a reliable pattern such as “The process shows how…” and check each sentence for a clear subject, correctly formed verb and appropriate tense. More accurate control of these structures would make the sequence easier to read.

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

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