Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-15

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 illustrate the eight step process involved in the recycling of plastic bottles.

Overall, it is the cyclic process, begins with the collection of bottles and cluminates in the creation of new products, demonstrating the cycling approch to recyle plastic materials.

In the first, the plastic trash is dropped into designated collection bins. Subsequently, collection truck are employed to tranfer the material at th recycling center, where plastic material can be seperated form the other waste to ensure that only the correct items mover forward in the process and this procedure is called sorting. After it, a material is compressed into into large blocks.

After compression, plastic bottles are crushed into smaller pieces that are easy to carry. These pieces than washed thoroughly to remove any dirt and other impurities. The cleaned plastic is turnes into the small pellets. These pellets are then heated and from raw material, further cubes are made that are easier to transport. Finally, the recycled material are used to produce new products such as clothing and plastic boxes or bottles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages from placing bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and the creation of new products. The overview correctly identifies a cycle, and examples such as clothing and containers reflect the diagram. Some details, however, are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram shows nine numbered stages, not eight, and the raw material is not described as being made into “further cubes”; it is then used to produce end products. The sorting stage is also more specifically about separating recyclable bottles from unsuitable items. Your account addresses the task well overall, but these misreadings and the limited explanation of the loop prevent a fuller, more precise summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by the early and later stages in separate paragraphs. Sequencing expressions such as “Subsequently,” “After compression,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process. The progression is generally logical, though some links feel mechanical or imprecise, particularly “After it” and “These pieces than washed,” and the overview says the process culminates in new products without explicitly explaining that the cycle returns to the start. Paragraphing is appropriate, but clearer links between stages and more precise referencing would make the flow smoother and less dependent on repeated time markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressed,” “crushed,” “impurities,” and “pellets,” and the range is sufficient to describe the main stages. However, noticeable spelling errors—“cluminates,” “approch,” “recyle,” “tranfer,” and “seperated”—reduce accuracy and polish. Some word choices or collocations are also imprecise: “plastic trash” is less suitable than “plastic bottles,” “easy to carry” does not convey the diagram’s purpose as clearly as “processed,” and “further cubes” misrepresents the raw-material stage. Aim for accurate spelling and use terms that match the diagram closely; this will make your description more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including the overview clause “begins with the collection of bottles” and the longer sentence describing sorting. Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors recur. The opening should be “The diagram illustrates,” and “collection truck are employed” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “These pieces than washed,” the verb needs a passive form (“are then washed”); “the cleaned plastic is turnes” also needs a correctly formed passive verb. There are further article and number issues in “a material” and “the recycled material are used.” Work on passive constructions, agreement and articles while retaining your varied sentence structures.

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