Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-31

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 depicts the process of recycling of plastic bottles.

Overall, it is the process where waste bottles are recycled for making the new product.

Firstly, waste bottles are conveyed by using the truck to recycling centre: sorting from there bottles transfered to compressing into blocks. after that bottles go through the crushing machine and after it go for washing. moreover, after washing it transfered for the producing plastic pellets from there pellets transfered to heating.

Secondly, after the heating it go for transforming into raw material after that it go for the producing end products that we can use in daily life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the subject and give a basic account of the main stages, including sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating and making end products. However, the task is only partially addressed: the overview is vague, and important details are omitted, especially that bottles are first placed in a recycling bin and collected by truck, that unsuitable bottles are rejected during sorting, and that the process loops back from end products to the bin. The response also contains 103 words, below the required 150, so the stages are not developed sufficiently. To improve, add a clear overview of the full cycle and explain the key steps and its circular nature.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing stages. The sequence is generally understandable, and words such as “Firstly,” “after that” and “Secondly” help signal progression. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph begins with “Secondly” even though it continues the same process, and several stages are compressed into long, loosely connected sentences. Repeated use of “after that” and “from there” makes the links mechanical, while the final return to the beginning of the cycle is not explained. Organise the stages in a clear sequence and use more precise links such as “subsequently” and “finally”.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “washing,” “plastic pellets” and “raw material,” so the reader can identify most stages. However, the range is limited and some word combinations are awkward or repetitive, such as “the process of recycling of plastic bottles” and “the producing plastic pellets.” “Transfered” is also misspelled, and “new product” is too general for the range of items shown. Use more precise process language, for example, “are transported,” “are sorted,” and “are converted into pellets.” Naming examples of the end products would also make the description more specific and demonstrate greater lexical flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates the broad sequence, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are repeated errors in verb forms and agreement, including “bottles transfered,” “it transfered,” and “after the heating it go.” The sentence beginning “Firstly” also shifts between passive and active constructions without reliable control, and “after that bottles” needs clearer punctuation. Most sentences follow simple patterns, with limited accurate use of more complex structures. Practise consistent passive forms for a process description, such as “The bottles are transported,” “They are crushed,” and “The pellets are heated.” Check subject–verb agreement, past participle forms, articles and sentence boundaries before submitting.

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