Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-13

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 given diagram demonstrates the recycling process of plastic bottles.

Overall, it is a cyclic process. It consists of nine stages and starts from collecting bottles from the waste and ends with useful products.

Firstly, the bottles are collected from the garbage by a garbage truck. The loaded truck's container transports the collected material to the recycling center . In the recycling center , the plastic bottles are sorted according to categories. The gathered bottles are compressed and converted into the shape of blocks. The crushing machine is used in the fifth step ; the block-shaped plastic is put into the machine, and crushed particles steadily move within the water container placed under the crushing machine.

Meanwhile , the washed plastic particles are converted into pellets by being placed inside the pellet- producing machine. In the seventh step, the pellets are heated to form the raw material. The raw material is used to make bottles, transparent food boxes, shopping bags , etc. The process is repeated and passes through all the above stages to produce plastic objects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully summarises the main features of the plastic bottle recycling process. All key stages are identified, beginning with the initial collection of bottles by garbage trucks and ending with the manufacturing of final products such as transparent food boxes and shopping bags. The overview clearly states that it is a cyclic process consisting of nine stages. However, while the response covers the whole sequence, some stages are described rather mechanically without deeper synthesis or grouping, which prevents it from reaching a higher band. Nevertheless, all parts of the prompt are adequately covered, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the start to the end of the diagram. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Firstly', 'Meanwhile', and 'In the seventh step' are used to guide the reader through the sequence. Paragraphing is attempted, though the main body is condensed into a single large paragraph rather than broken down logically by phases of the process (e.g. collection, washing/crushing, and manufacturing). This affects the overall visual structure and logical chunking of ideas. Referencing is generally clear, though spacing errors around punctuation slightly disrupt the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a process, including terms like 'recycling center', 'compressed', 'crushing machine', and 'pellets'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary such as 'cyclic process' and 'raw material'. However, word choice and collocation are occasionally awkward or overly simplistic, such as 'garbage truck', 'garbage', and 'pellet- producing machine'. Spelling is generally accurate, but mechanical errors with punctuation spacing (e.g. placing spaces before commas and periods) detract from lexical presentation. The vocabulary is sufficient for the task, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as passive constructions ('the bottles are collected', 'the plastic bottles are sorted') which are essential for process diagrams. There is good control over basic grammatical forms, and meaning is rarely obscured. However, there are some repetitive structures and punctuation errors, particularly extraneous spaces before punctuation marks (e.g., 'center .', 'bags ,'). Complex structures are attempted with varying success ('by being placed inside...'), but overall grammatical control remains consistent enough to satisfy the criteria for Band 6.0.

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

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