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 illustrate the recycyling process of platic bottles. from their dispposible to a manufacturing of new items.

Overall, the recycyling process is mainly consist of nine stages. To beginning with the collection of bottles, and ending with the production of new items.

Initially, The consumer place the collection of used bottle to the designated recycling bins. these bottles are then collected by truck driver into truck and transported it into the recycling center. At the facility, bottles are carefully sorted, and the recycling items are being seperated from the unsuitable materials. these selected bottles are subsequently compressed itno the small crushed pieces. Which are then being washed and removed any impurity.

The following cleaning process, Washed plastic fragments are then propossed into the small pellets machine. where they get heated and melted as a raw materials. which in result stored as a manufacturing of recycled items. The final recycling products are the bottles , bags ,shirts ,food trays,and stationary iteams which obtained during recycling process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and give an overview that the process has nine stages, beginning with collection and ending with new products. The account of sorting, compressing, washing, pellet production and heating broadly matches the diagram, and you identify several end products. Some details are less fully or accurately explained: the diagram shows unsuitable bottles being rejected at sorting, while your wording only says materials are separated; it also shows the plastic being crushed before washing, a distinction that is not entirely clear in your account. The raw material stage and the arrows completing the cycle back to the recycling bin could be described more explicitly. A clearer overview of the closed loop and more precise sequencing would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “At the facility,” and “The final” help the reader follow the process. However, progression becomes less clear in the second process paragraph, where several stages are compressed into one sentence and the links between washing, pellet production, heating, and raw material are not consistently expressed. Some sentence fragments, including “Which are then being washed” and “where they get heated,” interrupt the flow. Capitalisation after full stops is also inconsistent. Use complete sentences and clearer transitions to show each stage in order, including the return arrow that closes the cycle.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “sorted,” “compressed,” “washed,” “pellets,” and “raw materials,” which helps communicate the stages. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning harder to follow. For example, “collection of used bottle” does not clearly describe placing bottles in a bin, and “stored as a manufacturing of recycled items” is not a natural way to describe the raw material stage. There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “recycyling,” “platic,” “seperated,” and “iteams.” Check spelling carefully and choose precise process terms; for example, describe plastic as being “heated to form raw material” rather than “heated and melted as a raw materials.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including passive forms such as “are then collected” and “are carefully sorted.” However, control is uneven, and faulty sentence construction often affects clarity. The opening has subject–verb disagreement in “The diagram illustrate,” while “To beginning with” is not a complete grammatical construction. Other examples include “the consumer place,” “transported it into the recycling center,” and the fragments beginning “Which are then” and “where they get heated.” Articles, plurals, and verb forms also need attention. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and tense consistently. More accurate control of these structures would make the process easier to understand.

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