Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-09

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 illustrates that the information about how plastic bottles are recycled.

Overall, there are nine steps which are used for the recycling of plastic bottles. All the steps are interlinked with each other; omission of any step may halt the whole process.

After analysing, it can be clearly seen that in the first step, people throw plastic bottles in the bins. In the second step, garbage is collected by trucks from dustbins, after that garbage is reached at recycling centre at there workers are sort the plastic bottles in different container. Then, plastic bottles are compressed into blocks. Afterwards, with the help of crushing machine, they are crushed into small pieces and sent for washing.

Moving further towards the remaining process, in the subsequent step, washed plastic pieces are put into huge machine which helps to produce plastic pellets. In the next step, heating pallets are used to produce raw material. In the second last step,hoge boxes of raw material kept on table. In the final step, plastic bottles, tiffins, clothes, pencils and plastic bags are made and it is a ongoing process because people use these items for a particular time period and throw again for recycling process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages from placing bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, processing and making new products, and your overview correctly identifies a nine-stage, linked process. Most details match the diagram. However, some points are unclear or imprecise: the sorting stage separates suitable bottles from rejected items, rather than simply placing them in “different container[s],” and the raw material is shown on a pallet, not as “hoge boxes … kept on table.” The final explanation that people use the products and throw them away again is a reasonable inference from the loop, but it is not explicitly shown. The response addresses the task well overall; more precise reporting of these details and a clearer overview of the recycling loop would strengthen it further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the early stages and then the later stages. Sequencing phrases such as “In the second step,” “Afterwards,” and “In the final step” help the reader follow the process. The progression is generally logical, though some links are mechanical or awkward, particularly “After analysing” and “Moving further towards the remaining process.” The long sentence beginning “In the second step” joins several stages without clear punctuation, making the sorting and compression sequence harder to follow. Paragraphing is appropriate, but clearer sentence boundaries and more varied, precise transitions would make cohesion smoother and less dependent on repeated step markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough process-related vocabulary to communicate the stages, including “compressed,” “crushing machine,” “washed,” “pellets,” and “raw material.” This shows some range beyond basic everyday terms. However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “garbage” is repeated where “bottles” or “plastic waste” is more suitable, “dustbins” is less precise than “recycling bins,” and “heating pallets” confuses pellets with pallets. “Tiffins” and “clothes” do not describe the pictured food containers and T-shirt as precisely as “food containers” and “a T-shirt.” There are also spelling and word-form slips such as “hoge” and “ongoing.” More accurate recycling terminology and careful proofreading would improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven, especially in longer sentences. For example, “after that garbage is reached at recycling centre at there workers are sort” has problems with passive construction, articles, prepositions and verb form; “workers sort the bottles at the recycling centre” would be clearer. The phrase “hoge boxes of raw material kept on table” lacks a finite verb and necessary articles, while “it is a ongoing process” has an article error and unclear agreement with the plural products. Punctuation is also inconsistent, including the missing space after “step,” and the run-on sequence in the second paragraph. Use shorter, complete sentences and check verb forms, articles and sentence boundaries.

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