Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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 a cyclical step-by-step procedure of how plastic bottles are recycled.

Overall, the process undergoes multiple stages of production system. It includes a blend of industrial and production process while restarting the entire task from collecting the bottles.

At first, the used bottles are collected from dustbins by dedicated trucks. In a recycling centre, they short the plastic bottles and keep them for further work and remove any other that can not be recycled. Thereafter, the plastic bottle are compressed into blocks and proceeds to the crushing phase. In this phase, the blocks are crushed and washed properly to remove any impurity.

In the following stages, the washed pieces go through a machine to produce plastic pellets. Subsequently, the pellets are heated to form raw material. These raw materials are stored in blocks. Finally, the raw materials are ready to be transported to various production houses for manufacturing a different range of items such as plastic bottle bags and boxes, pens as well as garment item like t shirt.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all stages of the recycling process, from collection to the manufacturing of new products. The overview provides a basic summary of the cyclical nature of the system. However, the report could be improved by highlighting the key stages more distinctly and ensuring that the description of the 'production system' is more precise. While the main features are identified, the connection between the raw materials and the final products could be more clearly linked to the diagram's flow. Overall, the response addresses the requirements of the task well, providing a clear and logical summary of the provided visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, moving chronologically through the recycling process. The use of cohesive devices such as 'At first', 'Thereafter', 'In the following stages', and 'Subsequently' helps to guide the reader through the sequence of events. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the initial collection/sorting phase, and the final manufacturing stages. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion of the text. The referencing is clear, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'cyclical', 'compressed', 'impurity', and 'manufacturing' used correctly. However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'production system' and 'garment item', which could be more academic. There are also minor errors, such as 'short' instead of 'sort' and 't shirt' which should be hyphenated. While the range is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the variety and precision required for a higher band score. Expanding the use of topic-specific vocabulary related to industrial processes would enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'they short the plastic bottles' (subject-verb agreement/word choice), 'remove any other that can not be recycled' (missing noun), and 'the plastic bottle are compressed' (pluralization error). While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall accuracy. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent pluralization when describing processes. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the report.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.