Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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 recycling of plastic bottles and manufacturing of new plastic goods. The whole cyclic process comprises nine steps.

Overall, the used plastic bottles are thrown in bins and these were collected and underwent numerous processes and finally, a new product is obtained.

In begining, the consumed plastic material was thrown in the dust bins and these consumed products were collected by specialized vehicles.Further, process includes the seperation of desired material at the site of recycling then this plastic was compressed into small blocks to ease the crushing as crushed material washed to remove debris. The major procedure is the production of plastic pellets through specialized machines. In addition to this procedure these plastic pellets were heated and utilized as raw material. Moreover, the raw material was processed and finished goods were obtained that comprises shirts,boxes, and bags. This process continues again and again after the use of final products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages from disposal and collection through sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating, and the manufacture of new goods. The overview also identifies the process as cyclical, and your examples of “shirts, boxes, and bags” reflect some of the products shown. However, some details are imprecise or incomplete: the diagram shows sorting into accepted and rejected materials, but this distinction is not explained, and “the raw material was processed” does not clarify that it is used to produce several end products before the cycle returns to the bin. The description is relevant throughout, but a few stages and links are less fully reported than others. Make the overview more precise and explain the final return arrow.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, a brief overview, and a chronological account of the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “In begining,” “Further,” and “Moreover” help the reader follow the process, and the final sentence signals that it repeats. This gives the account coherent progression. However, several transitions feel mechanical, and the long middle section combines many stages in one sentence, making the relationships between them less clear. For example, the movement from compression to crushing and washing would be easier to follow if each stage were separated and linked explicitly. Paragraphing is appropriate, but clearer sentence boundaries and more varied, precise linking would make cohesion smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushing,” “pellets,” “raw material,” and “finished goods,” which allows you to describe the main stages. There are also attempts at more formal wording, such as “specialized vehicles” and “debris.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “consumed plastic material” is unclear for used bottles, “dust bins” is not the right term for recycling bins, and “the major procedure” does not naturally describe pellet production. Spelling errors such as “begining” and “seperation” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process collocations and check spelling; for example, use “used bottles,” “recycling bins,” and “the next stage involves producing pellets.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including the overview clause “Overall, the used plastic bottles are thrown in bins and these were collected” and the longer sequence beginning “Further, process includes…”. The stages remain generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. Tense shifts between present and past (“are thrown” and “were collected”), and the sentence “In begining…” lacks a grammatical opening. There are also problems with articles and sentence construction, as in “Further, process includes,” while “as crushed material washed” is missing a finite verb structure. The long sentence containing several stages is difficult to control. Keep the process consistently in the present simple and divide complex sequences into shorter, complete sentences.

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