Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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 information given represent how plastic bottles are recycling in industries.

There are process that given information of plastic bottles that recycling and re-use in various product. While there are mainly nine process for ready the plastic which going for recycling.

In this diagram, We see that individuals are throw plastic in the garbage or dustbin. After second step truck is came and collect all garbage and then truck is reach the recycling center where a worker sorting the plastic or separating all the garbage. And forth step all plastic materials are compressing into blocks through machine after that step the blocks are crushed and cut into small part and then it's go for washing.

On the sixth step it's shown that plastic producing in the machine and came with pellets and after next step pellets are heating and ready for the raw material and then raw material collect and go for producing and ready for make products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the general subject and describe several central stages, including collection, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. However, the account only partially covers the diagram: it does not clearly explain that unsuitable items are rejected during sorting, that the heated material becomes raw material, or that this is used to make several end products. The overview is also unclear; “mainly nine process” does not summarise the cycle’s key feature, which is that products can return to the recycling process. Some details are inaccurate or vague, such as saying bottles are put in “garbage” and describing the later products only as “products.” Include a concise overview and report the full loop more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the broad order of the process, and the paragraph breaks separate the opening from the stage-by-stage account. Sequencing expressions such as “After second step,” “after that,” and “on the sixth step” help the reader follow the stages. However, the progression is not consistently clear because several stages are crowded into long sentences joined mainly by “and” or “then.” The opening repeats the idea of recycling without establishing a clear overview, and the final paragraph does not explicitly connect the end products back to the first stage. Use one paragraph for an overview and organise the stages into clear groups, with more precise links between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing into blocks,” “crushed,” “washing,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which allows the reader to recognise the main stages. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, making parts of the description unclear. For example, “plastic bottles are recycling” and “plastic producing in the machine” do not express the intended process naturally, while “garbage or dustbin” is imprecise for a recycling bin. “Small part” and “ready for make products” are also vague. Build a more accurate set of process verbs and material terms, such as “are recycled,” “are converted into pellets,” and “manufactured into products.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to link stages in longer sentences, but grammatical control is inconsistent and errors sometimes make the process difficult to follow. Examples include “The information given represent,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “a worker sorting,” which needs a finite verb such as “a worker sorts.” Verb forms are frequently inaccurate, as in “truck is came,” “truck is reach,” and “pellets are heating.” Articles and sentence construction also need attention, as in “There are process” and “After second step.” Most sentences rely on simple coordination with “and” and “then”; practise accurate passive forms and vary sentence structures to describe the stages more clearly.

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