Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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 , stationary, and shirts. The process is repeated and passes through all the above stages to produce plastic objects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student successfully summarises the main features of the plastic bottle recycling process, covering all nine stages from initial collection to final manufactured products. The response includes a clear overview stating that it is a cyclic process consisting of nine stages, and successfully identifies key transitional steps such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pelletising, and heating. The information is reported accurately without significant omissions, and comparisons or sequences are appropriately linked. The student satisfies the requirements of Academic Task 1 well by presenting a clear and structured overview of the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall progression, guiding the reader logically through the sequential stages of the diagram. The student uses standard sequencing devices such as 'Firstly', 'In the fifth step', 'Meanwhile', and 'In the seventh step' to order the information. However, paragraphing is somewhat underutilised; the entire body of the process is condensed into a single dense block after the introduction. Better division of paragraphs, separating the mechanical stages from the chemical and manufacturing stages, would improve the logical presentation.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate lexical range suitable for describing a technical process, incorporating specific vocabulary such as 'recycling center', 'compressed', 'crushing machine', 'water container', and 'pellet-producing machine'. While the vocabulary is mostly functional and accurate, it tends to be repetitive and relies heavily on direct descriptions from the visual prompt rather than demonstrating a wider variety of paraphrasing. There are minor formatting issues with spacing around punctuation marks (e.g., 'recycling center .'), but overall, the language is easily understood.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including passive voice constructions which are appropriate for process descriptions, such as 'the bottles are collected' and 'the pellets are heated'. There is good control over basic grammar, though some awkward phrasing appears, such as 'converted into the shape of blocks' instead of 'compressed into blocks'. Punctuation is occasionally flawed with unnecessary spaces before periods and commas. However, the majority of sentences are grammatically sound and errors do not impede communication.

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

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