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 flow chart illustrates the process involved in the recycle of plastic containers, from the trash to usable items.

Overall, the process contained nine major steps, starting from the selecting bottles from a bin to production of new plastic goods.

To begin with the picking trash from dustbins, it was then transported to the recycling center with the help of trucks and other designed vehicles. After that, shorting process was done to differentiate reusable bottles with other things. Moreover, the volume of shorted bottles were reduced by compressing with advanced machines to form smaller plastic blocks.

In addition, prepared blocks were crushed with the help of crushser to form fine powder, which then reached to the washing zone. In this step, unnecessary impurities were washed out then supplied to the pellets prodcution chamber, where powders were transformed into pellets; easy to trasport and use as a raw materials. Finally, raw materials were used by factories to produce wide variety of home appliances.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from disposal and collection through sorting, compressing, crushing, washing and pellet production, and your overview identifies the process as a series of stages leading to new goods. These details are relevant and generally match the diagram. However, some important features are less fully reported: the diagram shows heating the pellets to create raw material, then making a range of end products, and finally returning to the start of the cycle. Your account skips the heating stage and does not explain that the process forms a loop. The final products are also narrowed to “home appliances,” whereas the diagram includes items such as clothing and carrier bags. Include these stages and the circular nature of the process to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression, with an opening, an overview and a chronological account of the stages. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “After that,” “In addition” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process, and the ideas are grouped into paragraphs. This organisation is effective, though some linking is mechanical and a few references are unclear. For example, “In this step” could refer to either crushing or washing, while “then supplied” leaves the material being supplied implicit. The overview also says “nine major steps” but does not preview the cycle. Use more precise references and connect each stage explicitly to the next; this would make the progression smoother and more cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “transported,” “differentiate,” “compressing,” “crushed” and “transformed,” which helps describe the stages. However, several word-choice, collocation and spelling problems reduce precision: “shorting” is used for sorting, “crushser” for crusher, and “prodcution” and “trasport” are misspelled. Phrases such as “picking trash from dustbins” and “advanced machines” are imprecise or unsupported by the diagram, while “home appliances” does not accurately cover the varied end products shown. Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations, and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary would help you describe the diagram without adding assumptions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including a relative clause in “which then reached to the washing zone” and a semicolon before “easy to transport.” The sequence is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. The opening overview has an awkward construction in “starting from the selecting bottles,” and “the volume of shorted bottles were reduced” has a subject–verb agreement problem. In “where powders were transformed into pellets; easy to transport and use as a raw materials,” the fragment after the semicolon and the singular/plural mismatch make the sentence less controlled. There are also inconsistent tense choices between “contained” and the present-tense process description. Use consistent present simple for a general process and check sentence completeness, agreement and articles.

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