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 displays the procedure of recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, it is a cyclic process and it contain nearly nine stages, from throughing the waste plastic to producing the new products. Initial steps are related to human and the following are done by machines.

In the begining, plastic bottles and other plastic material collected from waste boxes and this waste transferred to recycling center by vehicles. After sorting items this plastic waste is compressed into blocks and these blockes are crused and washed.

After washing process pellet machine producing plastic pelletes and after heating raw materal the final products are produced in different things like plastic bottels, boxes, bags and clothes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the diagram as a recycling process and give a basic overview that it is cyclical, with bottles eventually becoming new products. You also report several central stages, including collection, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing and pellet production. However, the account is only partial: it omits the sorting decision between accepted and rejected bottles, the step of heating pellets to form raw material, and the return loop from end products to the recycling bin. Some details are unclear or inaccurate, such as saying the bottles are collected from “waste boxes.” The response is also 38 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail provided. Covering the full sequence and explaining the loop would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the stages. The sequence is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “In the beginning” and “After washing” help signal progression. However, the final paragraph compresses several distinct stages into one sentence, making the transition from pellets to raw material and then to end products unclear. The overview’s “Initial steps” and “following” distinction is also broad rather than a precise guide to the process. Use separate sentences for the later stages and connect each step explicitly—for example, explain that pellets are heated to create raw material before products are manufactured. This would improve progression and clarity.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling,” “sorting,” “compressed,” “washed,” and “pellets,” so the reader can recognise the main subject and several stages. However, the range is limited, and some word choices or forms are inaccurate or imprecise: “waste boxes,” “pellet machine producing,” and “heating raw material” do not clearly describe the diagram. Spelling errors such as “begining,” “blockes,” “crused,” “pelletes,” “materal,” and “bottels” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the description. Aim for precise process terms and check spelling carefully. For example, distinguish the machine that produces pellets from the later heating stage, which turns the pellets into raw material.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and errors in sentence construction and verb forms occur often enough to make some stages difficult to interpret. For example, “it contain nearly nine stages” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “this waste transferred” and “After sorting items this plastic waste is compressed” omit or misuse necessary verb forms. The sentence “After washing process pellet machine producing plastic pelletes” lacks a clear grammatical structure. Practise forming complete passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The bottles are collected and transported to a recycling centre,” and check articles, agreement and tense consistency.

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