Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-13

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 process of how bottles are recycled and after different phases goods are produced from them.

Overall, the whole process is done in three phases, In the first phase, bottles are collected and sorted, secondly, it is processed by machines to make it suitable for making goods and thirdly, the raw materials is sent to different manufuctaring companies to make products like, bottles, shirts and plastic bags.

First, plastic bottles are collected and send to the recycling centres where it is sorted and then compressed. After that it moves into the machinery process, firstly cutting and then cleaning and then added in pellet machine to produce small pellets.

After plastic pellets are produced it is then heated to melt and produce into raw block materials.Furthermore it is sent to different production companies for making of different products like shirts, bottles and plastic bags.While, people throwing it into bins it is then collected again and the whole process of recycling continous.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages and provide an overview that groups them into collection and sorting, machine processing, and production of goods. The account also correctly notes that the process loops back when people recycle bottles, and gives examples of end products. This meets the task well, though some details are less fully or precisely reported: the diagram shows bottles being compressed into blocks, crushed, washed, made into pellets, and then heated to form raw material, whereas “cutting” is not an accurate description of the crushing stage. The overview’s reference to “different manufacturing companies” is also an inference rather than a feature shown. To strengthen the response further, describe the sorting decision and the stages in exact sequence, using the diagram’s labels where possible.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a description of the process from collection through to the return loop. Sequencing expressions such as “First,” “After that,” and “Furthermore” help the reader follow the stages, and the three-phase overview gives the account a useful organising framework. However, some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated “then” and “firstly,” and the long final paragraph combines several stages without clear breaks. The reference in “it is then collected again” is understandable but could identify the bottles more explicitly. Use separate paragraphs for the initial collection/sorting and the later processing and products, and vary transitions to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of process vocabulary, including “collected,” “sorted,” “compressed,” “pellets,” “heated,” and “raw materials,” so the stages are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “recycling centres” and “production companies.” However, some choices are imprecise or awkward: “cutting” does not accurately describe crushing, “added in pellet machine” is an unnatural collocation, and “raw block materials” is unclear. Spelling errors such as “manufuctaring” and “continous” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process terms and natural combinations, for example “crushed into small pieces,” “fed into a pellet-making machine,” and “manufacturing companies.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the overview’s sequence of phases and clauses linked with “where” and “after.” The meaning is usually recoverable, but grammatical control is uneven, and errors recur across the response. Examples include “bottles are collected and send” instead of “sent,” “it is sorted” after plural “bottles,” and “the raw materials is” instead of “are.” The sentence beginning “While, people throwing it into bins” is incomplete and has an incorrect verb form; punctuation also runs sentences together in places, as in “materials.Furthermore.” Practise consistent subject–verb agreement, passive forms, and complete clauses. Breaking long sentences into shorter, accurately punctuated units would improve clarity.

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