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 illustrates the different stages a plastic bottle undergo for recycling.

Overall, the process go through 8 stages to complete a produced recycled product. Fristly troughing the bottel in a dustbin to buy new bottle.

At frist step, the used bottels are throwen in dustbin,at sencond step waste collecting van comes and collects the trash and moved to recycling center where the bottle are divided according to its recyling standards. In next step they undergo the compression machine where bottles are compressed into blocks. After that in thr 5th stage that compressed plastic bottles crushed by using the crushing machine then it convert into small pieces and they washed for the next step

In the 6 stage that washed tiny pieces are producing in plastic pellets by the machine after that collected small pellets and heated in 7 stage after that heated pellets coverted into raw material that raw material is used to produced the plastic products and finally they are ready to sell in the market

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You describe the main sequence from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating to raw material. This gives the reader a generally relevant account of the process. However, the overview is unclear and inaccurate: you say it has “8 stages,” whereas the diagram shows a nine-stage closed loop, and “to buy new bottle” does not explain the cycle. The final return from end products to the recycling bin is also omitted, as are the sorting decision (accepted versus rejected bottles) and the production of end products. To strengthen the response, give a clear overview of the full cycle and report its ending and return to the start, while keeping the stages in the diagram’s order.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has an identifiable introduction, overview and process description, and it mostly follows the stages in sequence. Connectors such as “At first step,” “In next step,” and “After that” help the reader follow the process. However, the progression becomes mechanical and some links are unclear, particularly in the long final paragraph, where several stages are joined with repeated “after that.” The overview also interrupts the sequence with the unclear phrase “to buy new bottle.” Improve cohesion by grouping the initial collection and sorting stages, then the processing stages, and finally the production and return loop. Use a wider range of clear transitions and full stops to separate each stage.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling center,” “compression machine,” “crushing machine,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “dustbin” for a recycling bin, “waste collecting van,” and “producing in plastic pellets.” Spelling errors—including “bottel,” “recyling,” and “Fristly”—are noticeable and sometimes make reading less smooth. Aim for precise process terms and accurate word forms: for example, say bottles are “sorted,” “compressed into blocks,” and “processed into pellets.” Proofreading spelling and avoiding repeated general words such as “after that” would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to describe a sequence using both simple clauses and longer sentences, but the range is limited and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “the process go through 8 stages,” “the used bottels are throwen,” and “that raw material is used to produced,” which show problems with subject–verb agreement, passive verb forms and infinitives. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent, as in “in dustbin” and “the bottle are divided.” Several long sentences run together without clear punctuation, especially the final paragraph. Practise accurate passive constructions for process descriptions—for example, “the bottles are collected,” “the plastic is washed,” and “the pellets are heated”—and divide the sequence into shorter, correctly punctuated sentences.

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