Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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 illustrate the data to recyle the plastic bottles. Image shows that when we through the waste material in dutbins. Garbage collecting truck collect this waste material from the dusbins and after collecting it from the dustbin waste mterial reach in recycling center for sorting in which plastic seperation process occur. next phase is to compress plastic material into bolocks After compression into blocks these blocks crush into raw mterial after crushing wash this crushed material and in next phase plastic pellets produce after producing plastic pellets these pellets heatined to form a Ram material.When wee heat the plastic it produce raw material after these phases we get raw mterial.In final phase from raw mterial companies make different products like plastic bags, disposable cups, disposable water bottles. After using these disposable product again we through it to dustbin and whole recycling process happened again and again and plastic didn't dispose off.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, processing and making new products, and you recognise that the cycle repeats. However, some important details are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram shows sorting into accepted and rejected items, but this distinction is not explained, and the products shown include a T-shirt, pencils and containers, rather than only the bags, cups and bottles you list. The overview is also weakened by repeated statements about producing raw material, without clearly summarising the full recycling cycle. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the loop and report each stage accurately, including washing, pellet production and heating.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the general order of the process, so the reader can trace the bottles from disposal to new products and back to the bin. You also use sequencing expressions such as “next phase,” “after,” and “in final phase.” However, the writing is presented as one long paragraph, and many stages are joined in a run-on sequence with little punctuation. Repeated transitions such as “after” and “after these phases” make the progression mechanical, while the repeated explanation of heating and raw material interrupts the flow. Organise the account into an introduction and overview followed by clearly grouped stages, and use full stops and a wider range of linking expressions to make the sequence easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compress,” “crush,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw material,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, spelling and word-form errors make parts difficult to understand, for example “recyle,” “dustbins,” “bolocks,” “heatined,” and “Ram material.” Some phrases are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “the data to recycle” and “plastic separation process occur.” Repetition of “raw material” and “after” further limits flexibility. Build a more accurate set of process verbs and collocations, and proofread spelling and word forms; for example, use “the process of recycling,” “is sorted,” and “is heated.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect stages in longer sentences, using time clauses and sequencing phrases, but the structures are often faulty and the response relies heavily on simple clauses joined together. Errors include subject–verb agreement in “The diagram illustrate” and “truck collect,” missing or incorrect articles in phrases such as “in recycling center,” and unclear tense or passive forms in “these blocks crush into raw material” and “plastic pellets produce.” Sentence boundaries are also frequently missing, creating run-ons that make relationships between stages harder to follow. Practise accurate passive constructions for processes—for example, “the bottles are sorted” and “the plastic is crushed”—and separate each main stage into a complete sentence with appropriate punctuation.

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