Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11

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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the recycling process for plastic bottles.

Overall, the plastic bottles are collected and sorted in recycling cente for compressing these to turn a block and produce raw materials by crushing blocks to make pelletes and heating the pellets for raw materials before introducing final products.

Initially, plastic bottles which are dumped into local container, are collected by authorized van. It carries the waste to the recycling centre where manual sorting is taken place. After sorting, make a waste block by compressing a certain amount of bottles and prepare it for machinery processing.

The compressed blocks pass through crushing machine and cut the plastics into intial pieces which are comperatively bigger in size than pellets. Before, producing plastic pellets, the initial pelletes need to wash. Then a machine is needed for making convenient pelletes size. At the final stage, it is necessary to heat pellets to form raw materials for producing end products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages from disposal through collection, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating, and your overview recognises that the process leads to raw material and end products. This gives the response a clear account of the central sequence. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the diagram shows a collection truck, not specifically an “authorized van,” and the final stage is not described with examples of the products or the arrow returning to the start. The overview also compresses several stages into a difficult-to-follow sentence. To strengthen the response, report the full cycle more precisely and explain that the raw material is used to make new products, which then re-enter the recycling process.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and a chronological account, with sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “After sorting” and “At the final stage.” These help the reader follow the process. The progression is generally logical, but cohesion is sometimes weakened by unclear references and awkward links. For example, “compressing these to turn a block” does not clearly identify what is being compressed, while “Before, producing plastic pellets” interrupts the connection between washing and pellet production. The final sentence also stops at end products without linking back to the opening stage, despite the diagram’s closed loop. Use clearer stage-to-stage links and refer explicitly to the materials at each point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “pellets” and “raw materials,” so the reader can identify the main operations. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “machinery processing.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “manual sorting is taken place,” “make a waste block,” and “convenient pelletes size.” Spelling errors such as “pelletes” and “intial” also reduce precision. Aim for standard process collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe bottles as being sorted, compressed into blocks, washed, and processed into pellets. This would make the account more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “plastic bottles which are dumped into local container” and a sequence of actions linked with “before.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors make individual sentences awkward or unclear. Examples include “manual sorting is taken place,” “After sorting, make a waste block,” and the comma in “Before, producing plastic pellets.” Articles and sentence construction also need attention, as in “into local container” and “After sorting, make…” where the subject is missing. Practise forming complete passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The bottles are sorted” and “The blocks are crushed,” while varying sentence structures accurately.

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