Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-17

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 process for recycling platic bottles.

Overall, there are nine total steps in whole process which include, throwing waste bottles then garbage vehicle picking them up transfering the bottles to recycling centre for sorting. All the bottles are then compressed and crushed into tiny pellets. Moreover, these pellets are processed and heated to form raw material to directly end product.

Firstly, all the waste bottels are collected and transported to recycling centre via truck. In recycling centre bottles are manually sorted and then compressed into blocks, the blocks are then crushed into pieces. Pieces are then washed into a conatiner.

After washing, plastic pellets are produce by processing the pieces in a machine. Extreme heat is induces to pellets to form raw material. Furthermore, raw material are stacked to make final products. Lastly, stacked raw materials are used to produce final product which can be again sold in markets and shops. This is a continuous prosess.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages in a generally accurate sequence, from collection and sorting through compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating. The overview also identifies the nine-stage process and its circular nature, showing a clear grasp of the diagram. This meets the task well, though some details are less fully reported: the sorting stage separates acceptable bottles from rejected items, and the final products include examples such as containers, clothing and pencils. The statement that products are “sold in markets and shops” is not shown in the diagram, while “directly end product” makes the transition from raw material unclear. To strengthen the response further, describe the sorting decision and name a few illustrated outputs, without adding unsupported information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by stages in sequence, with a final reference to the cycle. Paragraphing helps distinguish the early and later stages, and connectors such as “Firstly,” “After washing,” and “Lastly” guide the reader. However, some links are mechanical or unclear. The overview’s “Moreover” does not express a clear relationship, and “these pellets” refers to pellets before the process of producing them has been explained. The final two sentences repeat the idea of producing end products, and the return to the first stage could be linked more directly. Use fewer repeated transitions and make references explicit—for example, state that the finished products can re-enter the recycling process.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed,” “sorted,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which helps communicate the stages. There is some range in your descriptions, but several word-choice and collocation problems reduce precision: bottles are transported “via truck,” pieces are washed “into a container,” and raw material is “stacked to make final products.” The diagram shows washing in a bath and raw material being prepared before products are manufactured. Spelling errors such as “platic,” “bottels,” “conatiner,” and “prosess” are also noticeable. Aim for accurate process collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, use “transported by truck” and “washed in a bath.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including passive constructions such as “are then compressed” and “are used to produce.” The sequence is usually understandable, but grammatical control is uneven, with errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. Examples include “pellets are produce,” “heat is induces,” and “raw material are stacked”; these should be “pellets are produced,” “heat is applied” or “pellets are heated,” and “raw material is stacked.” The overview phrase “there are nine total steps in whole process” also needs an article (“in the whole process”), while “to directly end product” is structurally incomplete. Practise accurate passive forms and agreement, then proofread each sentence for missing grammatical words.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.