Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-13

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 7.0)

The diagram illustrates the sequential process through which plastic bottles are recycled.

Overall, it is clear that the operation spans several distinct stages, commencing with the collection of discarded bottles and culminating in the manufacture of new commodities.

In the opening stage, discarded plastic bottles are retrieved from designated public collection points and transported to a recycling plant via refuse trucks. Once there, the items are sorted and categorized based on specific criteria, such as material composition and suitability for processing.

The bottles suitable for recycling are then compressed into blocks. Thereafter, the blocks are crushed using two circular rotating machines, small pieces are generated which are then washed in the water tank. Subsequently the pieces are put into a kind of mixture to produce the plastic pellets. Following this step the pellets are heated at specific temperature which produces the raw matrerial required to maufacture finished goods like tshirts, pencil, polythene bag, tiffin boxes and bottles as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear account of the main sequence, from collection and sorting through processing to the production of new goods, and the overview identifies the process’s beginning and end. Most stages are reported accurately, including compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. The description also notes that unsuitable bottles are separated during sorting, although it could explain more clearly that only accepted bottles continue through the process. Some details are over-generalised or not supported by the diagram: bottles are collected in a recycling bin rather than necessarily at “public collection points,” and the diagram does not specify a mixture or a particular heating temperature. A more precise account of the sorting decision and the loop back from end products to the recycling bin would make the coverage more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview and a chronological description, so the reader can follow the process without difficulty. Sequencing expressions such as “In the opening stage,” “Thereafter” and “Subsequently” help signal progression, and the stages are generally grouped in a sensible order. The final sentence, however, carries several steps and examples at once, making the transition from heating to raw material and then to finished products less clear. The description also stops at the products without explicitly connecting them back to the first stage, despite the diagram showing a closed loop. Separate the later stages into clearer units and use a concise linking sentence to show that end products can re-enter the recycling process.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is a useful range of process vocabulary, including “culminating,” “categorized,” “compressed,” “crushed” and “raw material,” which helps convey the stages. Some less common choices are not fully precise or natural: “retrieved from designated public collection points” adds unsupported specificity, while “put into a kind of mixture” is vague and does not accurately describe the pellet-making stage. There are also spelling and word-form slips in “matrerial,” “maufacture,” “tshirt” and “pencil,” and “polythene bag” is less suitable than the diagram’s “carrier bag.” Aim for precise process terms and check spelling and plural forms; this would make the vocabulary more controlled while retaining the range already shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of sentence forms, including a clear overview clause (“it is clear that…”) and sequencing clauses that help explain the process. Meaning remains understandable, but some sentence construction errors prevent consistently accurate control. In “Thereafter, the blocks are crushed using two circular rotating machines, small pieces are generated,” two independent clauses are joined with only a comma; use a full stop, semicolon or a linking word. The final sentence also shifts between stages without clear grammatical boundaries, and “heated at specific temperature” needs an article or plural form. Review punctuation in longer sentences and article use, while continuing to use varied structures to describe the sequence.

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