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 illustrates the recycling method of plastic bottles

Overall it is clear that , the recycling process have eight different different steps from collecting plastics from garbage to crush it ,clean it and make raw materials , eventually make products from it .

At the beginning of the process , garbage pickup vehicles collect garbage from dump , then , they took it to recycling center where manually collected the plastic bottles . After that all kinds of plastics including bottles are give into a compressing machine where all plastics form into a block afterwards the blocks are crushed into a crushing machine under the crushing machine there is a washing system where the crushed plastics washed .

At 6th step al crushed plastics throw into a machine where it is heated and converted into raw materials . Then raw materials are collected in a area . After that the materials are perfect for manufacturing many products .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as recycling plastic bottles and give a general overview from collection through to the production of goods. Several central stages are included, such as sorting, compressing, crushing and washing. However, the account is only partial and contains important inaccuracies: the diagram begins with a person placing bottles in a recycling bin, not vehicles collecting general garbage from a dump, and sorting is not described as manually collecting bottles. The later stages are also misreported: plastic is first made into pellets, then heated to form raw material; your account says it is heated and converted directly into raw material. You also omit the loop back to the start and the examples of end products. Covering these stages accurately would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall sequence, moving from collection to processing and then to the materials used for manufacturing. The opening overview and the later chronological account help the reader follow the main direction of the process. Linking expressions such as “At the beginning,” “After that” and “Then” are relevant, but the repeated use of “After that” makes the progression somewhat mechanical. Some references are unclear, particularly “they took it,” where the subject and the destination could be stated more precisely. The final paragraph also compresses several distinct stages into a short sequence. Organise the description into clearer stages and use more varied, precise links between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressing,” “crushed,” “washing,” “raw materials” and “manufacturing,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “Garbage” and “dump” do not accurately describe the bottle collection shown, while “collected the plastic bottles” does not clearly convey sorting. Phrases such as “all kinds of plastics” and “perfect for manufacturing” are vague or unnatural in this context. There are also word-form and spelling problems, including “al crushed plastics.” Aim for precise process terms and natural collocations, such as “recycling bin,” “sorted,” “plastic pellets” and “suitable for producing.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect stages in longer sentences, for example, “After that all kinds of plastics … are give into a compressing machine,” but the sentence contains several errors that make the process harder to follow. Verb forms and agreement are frequent problems: “the process have” should be “the process has,” and “are give” should be “are given.” Tense is also inconsistent in “they took it,” and passive forms are often needed to describe a process. Articles, plurals and punctuation are unreliable, as in “in a area” and the comma spacing throughout. Most sentences rely on simple sequencing, with limited accurate variety. Practise consistent present-simple passive constructions, such as “the bottles are sorted and compressed,” and check each sentence for agreement and articles.

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