Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates how plastic bottle are recycled .

Overall, the recycling of plastic bottles is a nine-stage process that begins with the collection of used bottles and ends with the production of new products. The process involves sorting, compressing, crushing and processing the bottles into raw materials, which are then used to manufacture various items.

Firstly, the plastic bottles are collected by the workers in the dustbin. Then these collections of bottles are transport by huge trucks. In the third step, after recevied these are sorted by humans using conveyor belt at the recycling centre. After that, these sorted bottles are compressed into blocks. Then, these blocks are crushed by the machines. output of the machine are washed in the large tank.

In the sixth step, producing plastic pellets inside another machine. After that, plastic pellets are heated and converted to form raw material. Using this row material of plastic, manufacturers are producing end products such as pencils, plastic bottles, bags and clothes. After use these products, people throw these into dustbin again.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You give a clear overview of the nine-stage cycle, identifying its start with bottle collection and its end with new products, and you report the main processing stages in the correct order. The examples of end products and the return of used items to the bin also match the diagram. This covers the task well, although some details are less fully described: for example, the sorting stage’s separation into accepted and rejected bottles is omitted, and the raw material is not described as being packaged on a pallet before manufacture. The overview is relevant, but the account could be more precise about how the stages connect. To strengthen it, include these distinguishing details and describe the recycling centre’s sorting outcome explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into an overview followed by a chronological account, and sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Then,” and “After that” help the reader follow the cycle. The final sentence also makes the loop back to disposal clear. This gives the report a coherent overall arrangement. However, the sequence markers are somewhat mechanical, and the paragraph beginning “In the sixth step” starts with a sentence fragment rather than a complete link to the previous stage. Some references, such as “these collections” and “these,” are not fully clear. Grouping the stages into more connected sentences and using precise references—for example, “the washed plastic”—would make cohesion smoother and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “sorted,” “compressed,” “crushed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” and these terms help communicate the main stages. The range is adequate for describing the diagram, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “collected by the workers in the dustbin,” “these collections of bottles,” and “output of the machine.” There are also spelling errors, including “recevied” and “row” for “raw,” which reduce precision. Aim for standard process-report phrasing and check spelling carefully. More accurate choices such as “placed in a recycling bin,” “transported by truck,” and “the resulting plastic” would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the overview sentence with a relative clause and the sequence of passive constructions. However, control is uneven, and errors occur in several sentence patterns. For example, “plastic bottle are recycled” has a number-agreement error, “these collections of bottles are transport” has an incorrect verb form, and “In the sixth step, producing plastic pellets inside another machine” is a fragment. The final sentence, “After use these products,” also needs a grammatical construction such as “After these products are used.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause, although the overall meaning remains understandable. Practise accurate passive forms and complete sentences, while retaining the range of structures you are attempting.

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