Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-28

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 various stages involved in the recycling of plastic bottles, showcasing a clear stey-by-step progression.

At first glance, it is evident that the entire process consist of nine distinct stages, begining with collection of bottles and culminating in production of end products.

To commence the process ,plastic bottles are collected in a large bin then transported via recycling truck. Following this, plastic bottles are segregated in recycling centre by a human. Thereafter, bottles seperated are compressed together to make blocks.

Afterwards, blocks are crushed with two sharp pointed rotating blades and collected in a vessel which washes them. The next stage involves, production of plastic pellets with the meachine; subsequently, subjected to heating. At the end of the process raw material is redy to transfer into an usefull products like the Tshirts,conatiners,bottles and etc.This circular and systematic process ensures the efficient production of useable products by recycilng waste plastic bottles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all the main stages of the plastic bottle recycling process, from the initial collection in bins and transport via recycling trucks to sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, pelletising, heating, and finally producing end products. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, noting that the process consists of nine distinct stages and forms a circular loop. The information is accurate and faithfully reflects the visual data provided in the prompt without major omissions or misinterpretations, thereby meeting all requirements for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a clear overall progression, guiding the reader logically through the sequential steps of the diagram. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. Cohesive devices such as 'At first glance', 'To commence the process', 'Following this', 'Afterwards', and 'subsequently' are employed to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Referencing is generally clear, helping to maintain logical flow throughout the short text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a process, incorporating terms such as 'segregated', 'compressed', 'crushing', 'vessel', and 'pellets'. However, there are several spelling errors ('stey-by-step', 'begining', 'seperated', 'meachine', 'redy', 'usefull', 'recycilng') and occasional word-choice issues or awkward phrasing (e.g., 'by a human', 'transfer into an usefull products'). These lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication but prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating introductory prepositional phrases and passive structures like 'are collected' and 'are compressed together'. However, grammatical accuracy is undermined by several errors in articles ('in recycling centre', 'into an usefull products'), punctuation (comma splices and misplaced commas such as 'To commence the process ,plastic'), and subject-verb agreement or missing auxiliary elements ('the entire process consist'). While these errors do not completely obscure meaning, they occur frequently enough to restrict the band score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.