Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-18

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 below illustrates the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, the process consists of nine distinct stages. The process starts with throwing plastic bottles and other garbage into dustbin for recycling and ends with producing useful products from recycling such as clothes, pencils, bottles and recyclable bags.

Firstly, the process starts with throwing plastic bottles and other household garbage into dustbin. These wastage are collected by trucks and transported to recycling center for sorting. Secondly, sorting are done manually by hands. Plastic bottles are separated into a left side box and other garbage are on the right box. Then, all sizes of bottles are compressed into a large blocks. This large box is crushed in between two huge wheels and flakes are fall into water for washing. Following this, flakes are moved into large machine to produce plastic pellets. After that, these plastic pellets are heated to form raw material. Later on, raw material is combined to form large tubes. Finally, the finished products are produced such as bottles, clothes, pencils, lunch boxes and recyclable bags.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all stages of the process, from collection to the final product. You have successfully identified the main features and provided a clear overview. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and relies heavily on listing steps rather than synthesizing the information. To reach a higher band, ensure that you group related stages together more effectively and avoid repetitive phrasing like 'the process starts with' or 'the process consists of'. While all parts of the task are addressed, the development of the description could be more sophisticated by highlighting the transformation of the material more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized, following the chronological order of the diagram. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Then', 'Following this', and 'Finally' to guide the reader. While this makes the text coherent, the reliance on these simple transition words is somewhat mechanical. Paragraphing is present, but the body paragraph is quite dense; splitting it into two distinct phases (e.g., collection/sorting vs. processing/manufacturing) would improve the flow and readability. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentence structures feel slightly repetitive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'compressed', 'crushed', 'flakes', and 'pellets'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'These wastage are collected' is grammatically incorrect (wastage is uncountable) and 'left side box' is imprecise. You also repeat 'process' and 'plastic bottles' frequently. To improve, try to use synonyms or more precise technical terms to describe the recycling stages. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, but it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('sorting are done', 'These wastage are collected', 'flakes are fall'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and phrasing errors, such as 'manual by hands' (redundant) and 'large box is crushed' (referring to the blocks). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and avoiding redundant phrasing will help improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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