Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-29

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 figure presents the procedure of recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, The whole process is done in nine stages, from recycling the bottles , crushing and turning them into raw materials to producing end user products.

First half includes the process of putting the plastic bottles into recycle bins.The bottles are then collected by lorry bins for futher processes.These bottle are then brought to centre, where these plastic bottles are put into right order.Then comes the making of blocks by pressing the bottles.

Second half of the procedure includes the crushing of blocks into minimal particles, which are then washed into a liquid container. After washing these small particles are dumped into a machine to get plastic pellets.Further these pellets are heated to form the basic material. The raw material is then transformed into public products like shopping bags, shirts and plastic bottles.And again this whole cycle continues

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a cycle and give its broad progression from bottle disposal through processing to new products. However, the overview is imprecise: “crushing and turning them into raw materials” skips key stages, and the description does not clearly state that the finished products feed back into the cycle. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: bottles are sorted into accepted and rejected items, not simply put “into right order,” and the washing stage is not described as washing particles “into a liquid container.” The examples of end products are relevant, but the account omits the diagram’s food containers and pencils. The response is also three words below the required minimum. Add a more complete overview and accurately describe the sorting and final loop.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs covering the early and later stages. This makes the sequence reasonably easy to follow, and connectors such as “then,” “After washing,” and “Further” help signal progression. However, the division into “First half” and “Second half” is somewhat mechanical, and the final “And again this whole cycle continues” feels detached rather than integrated into the process description. Some references are unclear, particularly “these small particles,” which could be linked more precisely to the crushed and washed plastic. Improve cohesion by using stage-based transitions and connecting the final products explicitly back to bottle collection.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “collected,” “pressing,” “crushing,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” so the main stages are generally understandable. There is some variety in how you describe the process, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “lorry bins” confuses the vehicle with the containers, “put into right order” does not accurately describe sorting, and “public products” is not a natural term for consumer goods. “Minimal particles” is also an imprecise description of the crushed plastic. Spelling errors such as “futher” and “recycle bins” further reduce control. Choose precise process terms, such as “collection truck,” “sorted,” and “end products,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple sentences and longer clauses, including “where these plastic bottles are put into right order” and “which are then washed…,” showing some ability to describe linked stages. The sequence is mostly understandable, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation recur. For example, “First half includes” and “Second half of the procedure includes” need articles, while “These bottle are then brought” has a plural-agreement error. The overview also has inconsistent capitalization after “Overall,” and several sentences run together without a space after the full stop, as in “bins.The” and “bottles.And.” Use articles consistently, check singular and plural forms, and punctuate each stage clearly. More accurate complex sentences would make the process easier to follow.

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