Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-12

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 procedure of recycling plastic bottles. The total steps for recycling are 9.

Overall, the plastic bottles are dumped in bin from where it is thrown in a vehicle. The vehicle will carry the waste to the recycling centre where it is recycled and eventually produce the end products.

First of all, users dump the bottles in the bin. A vehicle comes and gets the garabage.It transports the wastage to the recycling centre. The employees start sorting the bottles out. Those are in right position will be separated.

The sorted bottles are compressed into blocks by passing through a compressor machine. The blocks go through a crusher, which crushes them. The crushed material is washed so, no dirt remains. The cleaned material is added in a machine which produces plastic pellets.

Finally, the pellets are heated to form raw material. It is in a form of raw material which undergoes through a process that creates the end products. These end products are ready to use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages in the correct order, from disposal and collection through sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating, and you include an overview of the process and its end products. The statement that there are nine steps is consistent with the diagram. However, some details are incomplete or unclear: “Those are in right position will be separated” does not explain that bottles are sorted into accepted and rejected groups, and the final stage is described only generally rather than giving examples such as containers, clothing or pencils. The diagram also shows the process returning from end products to the recycling bin, a key feature that would strengthen your overview. More precise coverage of these features would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by stages in chronological order, with “First of all” and “Finally” helping signal progression. Paragraphing also separates the early collection stages from later processing. This gives the reader a coherent account, although some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Overall” introduces a summary, but the circular nature of the process is not made explicit, and “It is in a form of raw material which undergoes through a process” repeats the previous point without clearly connecting raw material to the products. Improve cohesion by using concise stage links such as “After sorting” and “Once heated,” and make the return from end products to the bin clear. This would make progression more flexible and references easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crusher,” “washed,” “pellets” and “raw material,” so the stages are generally understandable. There is some useful variation in how you describe actions, but several choices are inaccurate, informal or repetitive. “Garabage” is misspelled, while “wastage” and “waste” are repeated where “bottles” or “plastic” would be more precise. “Those are in right position” is not a natural way to describe the accepted bottles, and “undergoes through a process” is an awkward collocation. Aim for accurate, task-specific terms such as “accepted bottles,” “recyclable material” and “is processed into.” Greater precision and more natural collocations would improve the range and control of your vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including relative clauses such as “which crushes them” and “which produces plastic pellets.” Most stages remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “from where it is thrown in a vehicle” has unclear reference and an incorrect passive construction; “Those are in right position will be separated” lacks a grammatical relative structure; and “which undergoes through a process” has an incorrect verb pattern. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “dumped in bin” and “garabage.It transports.” Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, and use clear passive forms where appropriate, such as “The bottles are collected and taken to the centre.” More consistent accuracy in these structures would strengthen the response.

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

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