Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-25

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)

First of all, we should keep plastic bottle to the recycling bin. So, the recycling management can come and take all the plastic bottles to recycling centre for sorting. After completing the sorting process, bottles will be compressed into block which can cover less space and we can use space of the sorting centre properly. After compressing, blocks will be crushed into the curshing machine and then those curshed particles of platic bottles will be washed properly to make it dust and dirt free. Then we will produce plastic pallets via machine and gather them in a place where we can heat them properly to give them shape of raw materials. From that raw material, we make different items such as plastic pensils, bags, lunch boxes and water bottles. We can use these plastic items again and in this way, we have recycled waste platics into the useful items again.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main sequence from disposal and collection through sorting, processing and making new products, and it recognises that the materials can be reused. However, it does not clearly present the diagram’s overall feature: this is a closed cycle, with end products returning to the recycling bin. The sorting stage’s rejection of unsuitable bottles is also omitted, and some process details are imprecise: the pellets are heated to form raw material, rather than being heated simply to give them a shape. The explanation that compression saves space is plausible but not shown in the diagram. To strengthen the summary, give a concise overview of the cycle and report the key stages and return link accurately, without adding unsupported explanations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in a sensible order, and sequencing expressions such as “After completing,” “After compressing,” and “Then” help the reader follow the process. The response also ends by linking the products to reuse. However, it is written as one continuous paragraph, so the overview and stage details are not clearly separated. Several transitions are repetitive, and the final sentence repeats the idea of recycling rather than explicitly connecting the end products back to the first stage. Organise the response into a brief overview followed by a clearly sequenced description, and use a wider range of accurate linking phrases. This would make the progression clearer and reduce the mechanical effect of repeated “then” and “after” links.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressed,” “crushed,” “washed,” and “raw materials,” so the reader can understand the general stages. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings reduce precision: “recycling management” is not a natural term for the collection service, “plastic pallets” should be “plastic pellets,” and “dust and dirt free” is an awkward description of washing. There are also misspellings such as “curshing,” “curshed,” “platic,” “pensils,” and “platics.” Use the diagram’s exact process terms where possible and check spelling carefully. More precise verbs and nouns would make the account sound more appropriate for an academic process description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including a relative clause in “blocks which can cover less space” and a time clause beginning “After completing the sorting process.” The sequence remains understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. Examples include the singular/plural mismatch in “plastic bottle,” the missing article in “to recycling centre,” and “compressed into block,” where the noun needs an appropriate article or plural form. The sentence “we can use space of the sorting centre properly” also has an unclear grammatical construction. In addition, the repeated use of “we” makes the process sound like instructions rather than an impersonal description. Practise accurate articles, plurals and passive forms, such as “the bottles are collected and sorted,” while varying sentence structures.

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