Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-30

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 BELOW ILLUSTRATES DATA ABOUT PROCESS FOR RECYCLING PLASTIC BOTTLES.

OVERALL IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE ARE NINE PROCESSING PART FOR RECYCLING PLASTIC BOTTLES. WHEN A HUMAN DESTROY A PLASTIC BOTTLE AFTER THAT RECYCLING PROCESS CAN MAKE NEW PRODUCTS FROM THAT.

FIRSTLY PEOPLE USE PLASTIC BOTTLES FOR THEIR REGULAR USES. WHEN THEY KEEP THIS BOTTLES IN DUSTBIN, RECYCLING TRACK GET THIS BOTTLES. AND THEN THEY GO TO RECYCLING CENTRE. THEN WORKER SORTING THIS BOTTLES.AFTER THAT THEY TRANSFER IT FOR COMPRESSING INTO BLOCKS.

THEN MACHINE CRUSHING THIS BOTTLES CAREFULLY. THEN IT GOING TO FOR WASHING. WHEN WORKER WASH THE CRUSHING BOTTLES AFTER THAT THEY TRANSFER IT IN A PELLETS FOR PRODUCING PLASTIC. THEN THE BOTTLES GREW TO HEATING PELLETS TO FORM RAW MATERIAL. THEN THE RAW MATERUAL CAN MAKE ANY PRODUCTS LIKE NEW BOTTLES ,PLASTICS JAR, PENCIL, PEN , CLOTS ETC. SO ALL PEOPLE SHOLD FOLLOW RULES FOR RIGHT USES PLASTICS. BECAUSE IT IS A BAD PART OF OUR NATURE. PLASTICS CAN MAKE POISON FOR OUR NATURE.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the subject and give a basic overview that the process has nine stages and turns used bottles into new products. You also report several central steps, including collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the bottles do not “grow” during heating, and the diagram shows raw material being made into a range of end products, rather than the specific “pen” and “clots” listed. The final comments about rules and plastic poisoning nature are not part of the process and take space from describing the diagram. To strengthen the response, explain the sorting decision and make the circular return from end products to the recycling bin clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in the correct order, and sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “After that” and “Then” help the reader follow the process. The overview also gives the response a basic structure. However, nearly all the information is placed in one block, and repeated use of “then” makes the progression mechanical. Some references are difficult to follow, as in “they transfer it in a pellets,” where it is unclear what “it” refers to. The shift to advice about people following rules interrupts the process description. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the stages, vary linking expressions, and use clear nouns such as “the plastic” or “the pellets” instead of ambiguous pronouns.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “washing,” “pellets” and “raw material.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the stages. However, word choice and spelling errors are frequent enough to make parts difficult to interpret: “recycling track” is used for the collection truck, “materual” for material, and “clots” appears where you likely mean clothes. Several combinations are also unnatural, such as “bottles grew to heating” and “regular uses.” Aim for accurate, task-specific terms and natural collocations. Check spelling carefully and avoid imprecise phrases such as “any products” when describing the range of end products shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect stages using clauses beginning with “when” and “after that,” but most sentences rely on simple patterns, and these attempts are often faulty. For example, “When a human destroy a plastic bottle” has subject–verb agreement and article problems, while “Then machine crushing this bottles” lacks a correctly formed verb and has an incorrect plural reference. Tense and sentence construction are also unclear in “Then it going to for washing.” These errors recur and sometimes make the process hard to understand. Practise forming complete present-simple passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The bottles are collected and taken to a recycling centre,” and check articles, plurals and verb forms in each sentence.

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