Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-22

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 pictogram depicts the stages of remaking various plastic products from used bottles.

Overall, the process involves 9 stages. Beginning from collection of waste bottles to modifying them into different things like bags, pencils, lunch boxes and t-shirts.

First of all, waste bottles are collected from various garbage tanks and transported to recycling center. Here, they are differentiated acoording to the quality and selected for the further process. Moving forward, they are compressed together and moulded into a shape of blocks. The next stage involves crushing of blocks and then, tiny particles are washed in order to remove impurities. Additionally, these small fragments are converted into micro plastic pellets in a machine and heated at a high temperature to form raw material for making different products. Raw material is packed in a form of sheets or blocks. It is sold to various manufracturing companies for production of household products like bottles and lunch boxes and also tshirts and pencils for daily use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process depicted in the diagram, beginning with collection and sorting, moving through compressing, crushing, washing, and pelletising, and concluding with the creation of raw materials and end products. The response includes a clear overview stating that the process involves nine stages in a closed loop. The information is accurately reported without any major omissions or invented data, fulfilling the requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 7.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The text is logically organised, following the chronological order of the nine-stage recycling process. Paragraphing is used appropriately, separating the introduction/overview from the detailed body description. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moving forward', and 'Additionally' are employed to guide the reader smoothly through the sequence of events, though occasional transitions are somewhat formulaic. Overall, the logical progression is clear throughout, aligning with the Band 7 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully utilising topic-specific terms such as 'recycling center', 'micro plastic pellets', and 'raw material'. However, there are minor spelling errors like 'acoording' and 'manufracturing', alongside slightly unnatural phrasing such as 'garbage tanks' instead of 'garbage bins'. While less common lexical items are attempted, occasional inaccuracies place this response firmly in the Band 6.0 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as participial phrases ('Beginning from collection... to modifying them') and passive voice constructions ('waste bottles are collected'). There are some minor grammatical errors, notably article omissions ('to recycling center' instead of 'to a recycling center') and a sentence fragment in the overview. However, these errors do not impede communication, demonstrating the control characteristic of Band 6.0.

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

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