Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-24

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)

Plastic is a very good material to use to make products, but it can be seriously harmful for the environment. If we burn plastic it releases very harmful gas which can even damage human beings a lot and can cause serious even deadly diseases. To be aware and safe from this type of situation, we have to recycle plastic.

There are 9 steps in which plastic is recycled the very first step is to throw the plastic in recycle bin(not in any other type of bin recycle bin only, generally it is marked with green color.). The next step is that a garbage collector truck will come and pickup the trash from the recycle bin. Third step is the bin will be emptied in a recycle factory where the procedure to recycle the plastic is being executed, after the trash is emptied the respected employees will take the plastic water bottles, tiffin boxes, plastic bas etc. and will check and separate plastic from stuff like brand logo wrapped around, cap of the bottle etc. then only the plastic will be separated. After that in fourth step all the plastic will be collected in one place on and then compressed by the machine and turned into a block, this whole block is full of pure plastic only which be used further. In, the fifth step the compressed plastic block will now be crushed using a crusher machine in which there are two big gears set in such a way that only a small gap is present between them so when the block is thrown in this machine it starts crushing the block into small tiny tiny plastic particles, After the plastic is turned into small particles it has to washed directly after crushing to remove any dirt or bacteria from it. Then next sixth step is to insert those tiny plastic particles into a machine where the machine will produce plastic pellets. In the seventh and eight step these pellets will be heated to convert plastic pellets into raw material form of plastic, which will be used further to create good and products. Last step is to create the goods and products from the raw material plastic created by the procedure. In this way wasted/used plastic can be recycled.

Recycling plastic is a must thing to be done. It always should be recycled as it can be very harmful for environment if not recycled. It can be lengthy process but must do process to save environment and make the world a better place to live.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to meet the requirements of an Academic Task 1 report. Instead of providing an objective summary of the process, the student includes a significant amount of irrelevant personal opinion and moralizing about the environment (e.g., 'Recycling plastic is a must thing to be done'). The task requires a neutral description of the stages shown in the diagram. While the student identifies the steps, the inclusion of subjective commentary and the lack of a clear overview of the process as a whole significantly detract from the task requirements. The response reads more like an essay than a report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by the inclusion of irrelevant personal opinions. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'The next step', 'Third step', 'After that in fourth step'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between the descriptive stages and the subjective commentary is disjointed. While the reader can follow the sequence of the recycling process, the overall structure lacks the professional, objective tone required for an academic report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally basic and repetitive. There is a reliance on simple, informal phrasing such as 'stuff', 'good and products', and 'tiny tiny'. While the student attempts to describe technical stages, the word choice is often imprecise or colloquial. There are also issues with word formation and collocation, such as 'respected employees' (which is contextually inappropriate) and 'must do process'. To reach a higher band, the student needs to use more precise, academic vocabulary related to industrial processes and avoid informal, conversational language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in punctuation, such as missing spaces after commas and incorrect use of parentheses. Subject-verb agreement and article usage are also problematic (e.g., 'a garbage collector truck', 'the procedure to recycle the plastic is being executed'). While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of grammatical slips and awkward phrasing limits the range and accuracy of the writing. More attention to sentence boundaries and basic grammatical rules is required.

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