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 diagram illustrate the process of plastic bottles recycling.

Looking an the overall perspective, it is crystal clear that, people put plastic bottles into dustbin after this process it go for recycling in centre sorting and start crushing and make raw material.

Reporting the data in deatail, firstly people put plastic botttles and bags in dustbin after some time truck come and collect plastic in there trolly and go in factory there worker start sorting bottels for recycling and put in machines compressing into blocks and crush after all the process it send for washing.

Glancing at the remaining description, it send for producing plastic pellets through the machine it start heating pellets to from raw material. After these process they make raw material. All anothers companies buy raw material from this factory. Some companies make cloths some makes bottles, pens and bags. This process is chain it repeate several time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating, and you identify the conversion into raw material and new products. The closing idea that the process repeats also captures the diagram’s circular nature. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram shows plastic bottles being placed in a recycling bin, not bags, and it does not state that companies buy the raw material. The overview mentions only sorting, crushing and raw material, so it does not clearly summarise the full cycle or the production of new items. Develop the overview to show how discarded bottles are processed into raw material and then made into a range of products that re-enter use.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable progression: an opening, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the stages. Sequencing words such as “firstly,” “after,” and “after these process” help the reader follow the general order. However, the stages are often crowded into long sentences, and links between them are sometimes unclear. For example, “after all the process it send for washing” does not clearly identify what is sent, while “Glancing at the remaining description” is an awkward transition rather than a useful signpost. The overview also repeats some process details without clearly grouping the cycle into its main phases. Use clearer paragraphing and concise stage-by-stage sentences, with references such as “the bottles” or “the resulting pellets” to make connections explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing into blocks,” “crushing,” “washing,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw material.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the diagram. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings reduce precision, including “dustbin” for the recycling bin, “trolly,” “bottels,” and “cloths.” Phrases such as “make raw material” and “all anothers companies” are also not natural or precise in this context. Aim for accurate process collocations and vary verbs for the stages, for example, “are converted into” or “are manufactured into.” Careful proofreading of spelling and word forms would make the description clearer and more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the sequence is generally understandable. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction occur across the response. For instance, “The diagram illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, while “after this process it go” has an incorrect verb form and unclear sentence structure. In “truck come and collect plastic,” the article and verb form are missing, and “Some companies make cloths some makes bottles” joins clauses without suitable punctuation and has inconsistent agreement. These errors sometimes make relationships between stages difficult to follow. Practise accurate present-simple passive forms for process descriptions, such as “the bottles are collected” and “the pellets are heated,” and separate stages into complete, correctly punctuated sentences.

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