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 presented pictures demonstrate the procedure how plastic bottles are recycled.

Deep analysis of diagram reveals that the process for recycling plastic bottles is quite lengthy. The bottles passes through nine stages in all over procedure.

In the first step, the bottles of different kinds are gathered into bags. Then it is loaded into a heavy truck and delieverd to a facility. After sorting them into order they sent for next stage where they are compressed under presser machine. After compressing them into square like shapes it sent for crushing where they cut-down into small pieces and then washed by water. The small pieces go through a machine which produced plastic pellets. In the next step, they are heated to form raw material. All raw material is packed into sacks. In the last stage, this raw material is used for making different plastic things like bottles, shirts, bags and other stationary products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from collection through processing to the production of new goods, and the overview that the process has nine stages is relevant. Most stages are reported accurately, including sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. However, some details are less fully or precisely represented: the diagram shows bottles placed in a recycling bin, not gathered into bags, and the sorting stage separates acceptable bottles from rejected items, which you do not explain. The final products include food containers and pencils as well as clothing and bags; “stationary products” is not an accurate description. To strengthen the response, give a clearer overview of the closed-loop nature of the process and report the sorting and end-product details precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and sequencing phrases such as “In the first step,” “Then,” and “In the next step” help the reader follow the process. The response also moves from collection to processing and then to the final products without major disruption. However, the information is compressed into one paragraph, so the overview and the detailed stages are not clearly separated. Some links are mechanical, and references such as “it” in “Then it is loaded” and “it sent for crushing” are not always clear because the subject changes between bottles, material and pieces. Use a separate overview and group the stages into paragraphs, while making each stage’s subject explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushing,” “plastic pellets,” “raw material” and “heated,” which communicates the main operations. There are also attempts at more specific description, such as “square like shapes.” However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward: bottles are not “gathered into bags” in the diagram, “under presser machine” is unclear, and “stationary products” does not mean stationery items. Spelling errors such as “delieverd” and “presser” also reduce control. Choose precise process terms and check spelling; for example, describe bottles as being placed in a recycling bin and the compressed plastic as forming blocks.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes both simple statements and longer sentences that connect several stages, for example, “The small pieces go through a machine which produced plastic pellets.” This shows an attempt to vary sentence structure, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, some errors in agreement, tense and sentence construction remain. “The bottles passes” should use a plural verb, while “which produced” shifts unnecessarily to the past tense; “After sorting them into order they sent” lacks a clear subject and a correctly formed passive verb. There are also unclear pronoun references and missing punctuation after introductory clauses. Use consistent present simple passive forms for a process, and check that each clause has an explicit subject and verb.

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