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 process of plastic bottles consumed by people on daily basis into new consumer goods. Overall the procedure consists of nine stages, beginning with the initial disposal and concluding with the manufacture of new commercial products.

First of all, the plastic bottles thrown in trash are collected through trucks and directly taken to the recycling center. Where the plastic goes through the process of sorting according to its type. Then comes the stage where it is compressed into blocks and then crushed. The crushed plastic is then washed to remove impurities. Now it is ready to be shaped into plastic pallets in the 6th stage of the process. These plastic pallets are heated on fire in suitable temperature to get them in raw material. The raw material is gathered and taken to the factories. Where this raw material will be used to produce plastic products. These products include daily use items and household things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You give a relevant overview of the nine-stage process, identifying its start with disposal and its end with new products. The main sequence is mostly accurate: collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production, heating and use of the resulting material are all included. However, some details are unclear or not fully supported by the diagram. For example, bottles are sorted into accepted and rejected groups, rather than explicitly “according to [their] type,” and the diagram shows raw material being used to produce end products without specifying that it is taken to factories. The overview could also highlight the key feature that the process loops back to bottle disposal. More precise reporting of the final products, such as containers, clothing and pencils, would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a generally logical order, and sequencing expressions such as “First of all,” “Then,” and “Now” help the reader follow the stages. The opening overview also gives the account a clear starting point. However, the body is presented as one long paragraph, and some links between stages feel mechanical rather than smoothly integrated. The sentence beginning “Where the plastic goes through” is a fragment, while “Where this raw material will be used” creates another break in the progression. Group the stages into a clearly developed paragraph and connect related actions with complete sentences. A final link back to the initial disposal stage would also make the cycle’s overall progression clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressed,” “crushed,” “washed,” and “raw material,” which makes most stages understandable. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “remove impurities.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram: “plastic pallets” should refer to pellets, and “heated on fire in suitable temperature” does not describe the heating stage naturally. “Thrown in trash” and “daily use items and household things” are also imprecise, while “commercial products” is less specific than the examples shown. Choose established process terms and name representative end products. Greater precision and more natural collocations would improve the clarity and flexibility of your vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, and the sequence is generally understandable. Some sentences are controlled, such as “The crushed plastic is then washed to remove impurities.” However, there are several errors in sentence construction and grammatical patterns. “Where the plastic goes through the process” is a fragment, as is “Where this raw material will be used”; attach each clause to the preceding sentence or rewrite it as a complete sentence. In “on daily basis,” an article is missing, and “in suitable temperature” needs an article and a more appropriate preposition. The tense also shifts in “will be used” after a description otherwise presented in the present simple. Use consistent present-tense passive forms to describe the stages and check sentence boundaries.

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