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 process diagram illustrates the procedure of recycling pastic and produce different kinds of platic products like as t-shirt, bag, pencil and bottles.

Overall the process consists og 9 satges, begining with collecting used plactic bottle from house to house and ending with producing different kinds of products from them. The process undergoes several stages, collecting, transporting to factory , crushing into small pieces, washing, heating then finally transforming into products.

Initially the used bottles are collected from the dustbin then they are tranported to the factory. Where plastic bottles are sepearted from other materials. Following this the bottles are compressed into blocks , after that the blocks are crushed into small pieces.

After finished washing, the pastic pullets go through the grinder to produce flour type pastich. Which is then heated to tranform into the raw materials. Finally different type of plastic matrials, t shirt , pencil are made from the raw materials.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages in a generally accurate sequence, from bottles being collected and sorted through compression, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating and the creation of new products. The overview also identifies the process as having nine stages and describes its beginning and end. However, some details are incomplete or imprecise: the diagram shows bottles placed in a recycling bin and collected by a truck, rather than collected “from house to house,” and it does not identify the recycling centre as a factory. The final products are only partly specified, and the return arrow completing the cycle is not mentioned. The description of the pellet-making stage is also unclear. More precise coverage of these features would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs describing the stages in sequence. Linking expressions such as “Initially,” “Following this,” “after that,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, with several transitions doing similar work, and the sentence beginning “Where plastic bottles are separated” is an incomplete continuation after a full stop. The final paragraph also moves quickly from washing to the later stages, while the relationship between pellets, the material produced by heating, and the end products could be made clearer. Use complete sentences and connect each stage more smoothly to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed,” “heated,” and “raw materials,” which helps communicate the sequence. However, spelling errors are noticeable throughout, including “pastic,” “platic,” “satges,” and “tranported,” and these reduce the accuracy and polish of the description. Some word choices or combinations are also unclear or unsuitable: “grinder” is not specified in the diagram, “flour type pastich” is an imprecise description of the material, and “like as” is not a natural way to introduce examples. The range is sufficient to convey the basic process, but more accurate spelling and precise terms such as “plastic pellets” and “finished products” would improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the overview phrase “beginning with … and ending with …” and the passive construction “are made from the raw materials.” The sequence is usually understandable, but some sentence structures are incomplete or faulty. “Where plastic bottles are separated from other materials” is a fragment, and “After finished washing” does not form a correct introductory clause. There are also errors in articles, plurals, and agreement, as in “different type of plastic materials” and “the used bottles.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation need attention, particularly where clauses are joined or separated. Practise forming complete sentences around each stage and checking verb forms and singular/plural agreement.

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