Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-02

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 steps involved in reusing the material of plastic bottles to create end products.

Overall, nine steps are involved in this cyclical process from receiving the plastic bottles till manufacturing goods such as, recyclable plastic bags, pencils, tiffin boxes, bottles, etc. from the raw materials generated at the end of the procedure. While it includes machinery to perform various actions on the plastics, it also includes human interactions for sorting type of bottle that can be recycled.

Plastic bottles are collected from the recyclable bins, a auto pick-up truck gathers all the plastic bottles from various places. Those plastic bottles are sorted by humans to bifurcate recyclable bottles and non-recyclable bottles at recycling centre. Those bifurcated recyclable bottles are compressed into blocks which are further processed. Furthermore, the blocks are crushed using a crushing machine and dropped inside a washing bucket.

Those crushed plastic is processed into a machine to generate plastic pellets, which are heated to generate the raw materials. Those raw materials are ready for reusing it for other produce different kind of products. Raw materials are used to manufacture products like recyclable plastic bags, pencils, tiffin boxes, bottles, etc. However, recycled products are thrown in recyclable bins, and the process repeats in order to recycle the products are generate different recyclable products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully identifies the main stages of the recycling process. You have provided a clear overview and followed the sequence of events from collection to the manufacturing of new products. However, the description of the process is somewhat repetitive in its structure, and some details could be more concisely integrated. For instance, the transition between the crushing and washing stages is clear, but the explanation of the final product manufacturing could be more analytical regarding the cyclical nature of the diagram. Overall, you have covered all parts of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'However', and 'Those' to link ideas. However, the use of 'Those' as a repetitive sentence starter is slightly mechanical and detracts from the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the collection/sorting phase from the processing and manufacturing phases. To improve, try to vary your cohesive markers and avoid starting consecutive sentences with the same pronoun to create a more sophisticated progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'bifurcate', 'compressed', and 'cyclical'. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'reusing the material of plastic bottles' (better: 'recycling plastic bottles') and 'produce different kind of products' (should be 'kinds of products'). The phrase 'washing bucket' is a bit simplistic for an industrial process. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'a auto pick-up truck' (should be 'an auto'), 'those crushed plastic is processed' (subject-verb agreement error: 'plastic is' or 'plastics are'), and 'the process repeats in order to recycle the products are generate' (should be 'and generate'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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