Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-03

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 process diagram illustrates the recycling process of bottles.

Overall, there is nine-step cycle which contains from throwing a bottle to produce recycled products.

Firstly, people throw plastic bottle into garbage collection box. That garbage is collected by the waste collecting truck. Afterwards it goes into the recycling center where sorting and destinction happens. They destinguise bottle and other wastes. That bottles are goes into compressing machine which compress the bottles into compressed blocks. There is a crushing system which crush these blocks converted into chunks. Washing of that chuncks happens along with chunking. In next step chunks go into machine, It produces them chunks into plastic plallets. That is further heated for farming raw material from that pallets. It is processed and made a raw material which can be further processed. Ultimately, on the last step they produce various product like bottles, container, clothes and many other items. This cycles is repeated numerious times.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and give a relevant overview by describing a cycle from disposal to the production of new goods. The account broadly follows the diagram: collection, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating, and making end products are all included. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate. The sorting stage separates suitable bottles from rejected waste, but “They destinguise bottle and other wastes” does not explain this clearly. You also say washing happens “along with chunking,” whereas the diagram shows crushing followed by washing. The overview could identify the key feature more precisely: recycled material becomes raw material and is used to make products, with the process returning to disposal.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence, supported by markers such as “Firstly,” “Afterwards,” “In next step,” and “Ultimately.” The opening overview and subsequent process description also give the reader a recognisable structure. However, the account is presented as one long body paragraph, so grouping the stages into logical sections would make the progression easier to follow. Some links are mechanical or unclear: “That is further heated” and “It is processed” have uncertain references, while “Washing of that chuncks happens along with chunking” disrupts the sequence. Use clear stage-to-stage links and repeat the relevant noun when a pronoun could refer to more than one item.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling,” “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “chunks,” and “raw material,” which allows the reader to follow the general topic. There are also attempts to describe machinery and transformation. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural word choices are noticeable, including “destinction,” “destinguise,” “plallets,” and “farming raw material.” Some phrases are repetitive or awkward, such as “produces them chunks into plastic plallets” and “various product.” Aim for accurate process collocations and consistent terms for each material as it changes form. Proofreading spelling and choosing precise verbs would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the sequence is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors, however, affect accuracy across the response. For example, “there is nine-step cycle” needs subject–verb agreement and an article, while “That bottles are goes” combines an incorrect demonstrative, plural form, and verb construction. In “which compress the bottles,” the verb should agree with the singular machine, and “This cycles is repeated” also has agreement errors. Sentence boundaries need attention too: “In next step chunks go into machine, It produces…” incorrectly joins clauses and capitalises “It” after a comma. Practise articles, agreement, verb forms, and punctuation while retaining your attempts at longer structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.