Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-21

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 figure illustrates nine step cycle procedure for recycling of plastic bottles into raw material to produce products including plastic boxes and bottles.

Overall, the nine step recycling process includes collection, transportation, sorting, compression, crushing, heating by industrial and chemical procedures.

People dump plastic bottles into dumpster which are collected by the garbage collector trucks. The trucks take the garbage to recycling center to sort plastic bottles separately to compress them into a block. After that, the compressed block is crushed and washed to prepare it for the next step.

In sixth step, plastic pellets are produced by putting them in a machine using the washed plastic raw material. Plastic pellets are heated to shape them into raw material which will consequently be used to produce end products like shirts, pencil, plastic boxes. The cycle does not end there, when people dump the end products again, they can be recycled by the same process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all stages of the recycling process, from collection to the production of end products. The overview is clear and identifies the main features of the cycle. However, the description of the process is somewhat mechanical and lacks a more sophisticated synthesis of the information. While the main steps are identified, the explanation of the 'heating' and 'chemical' stages is a bit vague. To reach a higher band, ensure that the connection between the stages is more clearly articulated, and avoid simply listing the steps as they appear in the diagram. Overall, the response successfully reports the main features and makes relevant comparisons regarding the cyclical nature of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that follow the chronological order of the process. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the initial collection stages from the later manufacturing stages. Cohesive devices such as 'After that', 'In sixth step', and 'consequently' are used to guide the reader through the process. However, some transitions feel slightly repetitive or mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the final sentences could be improved to better emphasize the cyclical nature of the process. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'recycling center', 'compressed block', and 'raw material' used correctly. There is an attempt to use specific terminology related to the process. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'nine step cycle procedure' (should be 'nine-step cycle') and 'dumpster' (which is informal). To improve, try to incorporate more precise verbs and descriptive adjectives to describe the industrial processes, such as 'shredded' instead of 'crushed' or 'transformed' instead of 'shaped'. The current range is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly but lacks the flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('into dumpster', 'to recycling center') and issues with pluralization ('nine step cycle'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The use of complex sentences is present, but they are sometimes slightly awkward, such as 'The cycle does not end there, when people dump the end products again, they can be recycled by the same process.' Improving control over articles and sentence structure will significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

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