Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-28

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 graph below explain how the plastic bottles can be used to make something more valuable.

Overall the diagram shows the whole process on how to reuse the plastic bottles. The process involes different steps starting from collecting the plastic bottles from bin till it reaches to the point where something more of valuable can be made.

The diagram shows a person collecting a plastic bottle from the bin, throwing it into the company garbage truck. In step by step process the truck offload all of the plastic bottles and a compny man shifts it into the recycling centre.The plastic bottles is turned into one big block by complressing it and then they crush the whole block of plastic bottles via a machine. In step 6 they wash it and start producing the plastic pellets. Afterwards they heat up the plastic pellets to make the raw material. In the last and final stage they turn the raw material into something more valuable like shirts,bottles,tifin etc.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a recycling process and give a general overview that bottles are collected and eventually made into new products. Several central stages are also reported accurately, including compression, crushing, washing, pellet production, and heating the pellets into raw material. However, the account is only partial: it does not clearly explain the sorting stage, including that unsuitable bottles are rejected, and it omits the final return arrow that makes the process a closed loop. Some details are imprecise, such as saying a person collects a bottle from the bin rather than placing it there. To strengthen the response, describe the stages in order more precisely and include the loop back to the start in the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an opening, an overview, and a sequence of process details. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “In step by step process,” “In step 6,” and “Afterwards” help the reader follow the general order. However, progression is not consistently clear because several stages are compressed into long sentences, and the sorting stage is passed over without explaining what happens to accepted and rejected bottles. The phrase “In the last and final stage” also suggests the process ends there, although the diagram loops back to the first stage. Use separate, logically grouped sentences for collection and sorting, processing, and production, and make the cycle explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “plastic pellets,” “raw material,” and “crush,” which allows you to communicate the main stages. There is some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “turn … into” and “make.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or informal for an academic process description: “company garbage truck,” “something more valuable,” and “company man” do not describe the diagram precisely. Spelling errors such as “involes,” “compny,” and “complressing,” along with “tifin,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise terms such as “collection truck,” “sorting worker,” and “finished products,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, for example, “Afterwards they heat up the plastic pellets to make the raw material.” However, grammatical control is uneven, and errors occur in basic sentence patterns as well as longer ones. Examples include “The graph below explain” (subject–verb agreement), “The plastic bottles is turned” (agreement and passive form), and “the truck offload” (verb agreement). The opening sentence also uses “how … can be used” where a direct description of the process would be clearer. Practise accurate passive constructions, which are especially useful for process diagrams, such as “The bottles are sorted” and “The pellets are heated.” Check agreement and articles in each sentence.

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