Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18

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 the different steps taken during the recycling of plastic wastes.

Firstly the garbage items such as bottles and wrappers are discarded and dumped into the dustbins by people. This garbage is then collected by the garbage trucks available across each area which is responsible for carrying this waste to recycling centers where the process of recycling takes place. When the plastic rubbish reaches recycling center, The process of sorting starts, this step is one of the most important steps because it helps distinguishing between recyclable and unrecyclable plastic. It separates out items that are suitable for recyling. After this, the selected plastic waste is compressed into large blocks and crushed. The bits and pieces of plastic is then dropped into machinery to form plasic pallets. The pallets are then warmed and heated to produce useful raw materials. Finally in the last step, these raw materials are converted into diferent useful plastic products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully identifies the main purpose of the diagram, which is the closed-loop process of recycling plastic waste. All key stages are mentioned in a chronological sequence, starting from discarding the rubbish, collecting it, sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, producing pellets, heating, and finally manufacturing end products. However, the response lacks a clear, overarching overview statement in the introduction, which is necessary for a higher band. Additionally, some details are slightly generalized, but the overall coverage of the visual data is adequate and accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged logically in a single block of text following the sequence of the diagram. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'This garbage is then', 'When', and 'After this' are used to guide the reader through the steps. However, the lack of paragraphing is a notable drawback; a well-structured Academic Task 1 response should separate the introduction/overview from the body details into distinct paragraphs. Referencing is generally clear, but the organization could be improved with better paragraph breaks.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, such as 'recycling centers', 'recyclable and unrecyclable plastic', 'compressed', 'crushed', and 'raw materials'. There are a few spelling and lexical errors, such as 'recyling' instead of 'recycling', 'plasic pallets' instead of 'plastic pellets', and 'diferent' instead of 'different'. Despite these errors, meaning is rarely obscured, and the vocabulary is adequate to convey the mechanics of the process.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which is responsible for carrying this waste') and temporal clauses ('When the plastic rubbish reaches recycling center'). However, there are grammatical inaccuracies and punctuation slips, such as missing articles ('reaches recycling center') and a comma splice/capitalization error ('recycling center, The process'). Control over complex structures is somewhat inconsistent, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

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

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