Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-27

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 diagram shows how recycling of plastic bottles is done. This process starts when people throw used plastic bottles into dustbins or trash cans. The muncipal trucks collect the trash from trash cans and it is taken to the recycling center where recycling materials are separated. All the plastic bottles are collected in recycling center and the workers sort the recycelable and non-recycleable plastic bottles. After the sorting of plastic bottles is done, these are compressed into blocks by compressing equipments. The blocks are then crushed into pieces by crushing machinery and the crushed bottles are washed in water tanks. Then, the pieces of plastic bottles are put into specified equipments to produce plastic pellets. The plastic pellets are heated to form raw materials required for the formation of other materials. Due to heating proces, raw materials are produced. These raw materials are then converted into various items such as plastic boxes or bottles, pencils, plastic bage or clothes etc and the process of recycling goes on.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence accurately, from disposal and collection through sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating, and you give relevant examples of end products. However, the response mainly lists stages rather than providing a clear overview of the process’s key features. In particular, it does not explicitly state that the diagram shows a closed cycle, with end products returning to the start, and the final phrase “the process of recycling goes on” only hints at this. Some details are also imprecise: “all the plastic bottles are collected” overstates what happens, since sorting separates recyclable from non-recyclable items. A concise overview and more precise reporting of the sorting and loop would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and sequencing expressions such as “After the sorting,” “then,” and “These raw materials are then” help the reader follow the process. The response is coherent overall, but it is written as one continuous paragraph, so the overview and the detailed sequence are not clearly distinguished. Some links are also repetitive or mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “then” and “These.” The sentence beginning “The plastic pellets are heated” is followed by “Due to heating proces, raw materials are produced,” which repeats the same information rather than advancing the description. Grouping the stages into an introduction/overview and a process description, and using clearer references between stages, would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed,” “washed,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw materials,” which allows the reader to understand most stages. However, some choices are imprecise or repetitive: “trash cans” and “dustbins” are less suitable for the diagram’s recycling bin, while “specified equipments” is vague. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “muncipal,” “recycelable,” “proces,” and “bage.” “Plastic boxes” is less precise than the diagram’s food containers, and “clothes” could be specified as a T-shirt. Aim for accurate process collocations and check spelling; this would make the vocabulary more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple and more developed sentence forms, including relative clauses such as “where recycling materials are separated” and passive constructions such as “are compressed into blocks.” These structures suit a process description, and the sequence remains understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “The muncipal trucks collect the trash from trash cans and it is taken,” the pronoun reference is unclear and the sentence shifts from plural “trucks” to singular “it.” “All the plastic bottles are collected in recycling center” is missing an article, and “raw materials required for the formation” is an awkwardly constructed phrase. The repeated sentence about heating also weakens control. Review articles, agreement, and clear pronoun reference, while varying sentence patterns.

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