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 given picture describe the recyling process of plastic bottles from start to end. The first few steps are about how the products collected for the recylcing. As shown in the image, people throw the recyleable bottles into the bins which are desinated for these kind of bottles. Then the trucks collect them and deliver to the recyling centres. At the centre first these plastic bottles get selected for the recyling. After the selection process, the selected bottles get compressed into the blocks. Then these blocks went through the crushing machines one by one. The crush pieces of the plastic then get into the washer so they get cleaned for the further process. After washing the pieces of the crushed plastic, the pellets are produced using the machines. These pellets get heated to shaped the raw material. Once the heating and formation of the raw material is done, we can produce the new products from them as shown in the picture like bottles, bags etc.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence from disposal and collection through sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and the creation of new products. The examples of bottles and bags also reflect the diagram. However, the response does not clearly summarise the process as a complete cycle: it ends with new products without noting that the diagram shows products returning to the start for recycling. Some details are also imprecise, such as saying the bottles are selected “for the recycling” without explaining that unsuitable items are separated, and the raw material stage is only briefly described. A clearer overview of the loop and more precise reporting of the sorting and final stages would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are generally presented in a sensible order, and sequencing phrases such as “Then,” “After the selection process,” and “Once” help the reader follow the process. The response therefore has a coherent overall arrangement. However, it is written as one continuous paragraph, and several transitions rely on repeated time markers rather than showing the relationships between stages more flexibly. The final sentence also moves directly from raw material to new products without connecting this to the diagram’s return arrow to the beginning. Grouping the initial collection stages separately from the processing and output stages, and using clearer links between them, would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushing machines,” “washer,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” so the reader can understand most stages. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. For example, “selected for the recycling” is unclear, “crush pieces” is not a natural description, and “get heated to shaped” does not express the process accurately. There are also repeated forms of “process” and “plastic.” Aim for precise verbs such as “sort,” “shred,” “wash,” “melt,” and “manufacture,” and check spelling carefully, including “recycling,” “recyclable,” and “designated.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and some longer structures, such as “After washing the pieces of the crushed plastic, the pellets are produced using the machines.” The sequence remains understandable, but errors in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “The given picture describe” needs subject–verb agreement, while “these blocks went through” shifts into the past tense despite the present-tense process description. The construction “get heated to shaped” is also grammatically faulty, and “people throw … into the bins” is followed by an unclear relative phrase. Use the present simple consistently for process descriptions and practise forming passive clauses, such as “the bottles are compressed” and “the pellets are heated.”

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