Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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 demontrates the step by step process about how plastic bottles are recycled. This process contains total of 9 steps which shows how plastic bottles are collected and recycled in such a way that new products can be created from it.

At first, when plastic bottles are thrown in the dustbin the entire trash inside it is collected by the garbage collector vehicle and sent to the Recycling centre where plastic bottles are seperated from other trash for recycling purposes.

Blocks of these sorted plastic bottles are crushed and washed before converting them to plastic pellets. Produced plastic pellets are heated to form the raw material. This raw material is used to produce plastic bottles. Various other end products can also be created with this raw material like plastic container, tiffin box, pencils, recyclable plastic bags and clothes. When the use of these end products are completed and thrown in the dustbin, the entire recycling process is repeated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and give a useful overview that the process has nine steps and turns discarded bottles into products that can re-enter the cycle. The sequence from collection and sorting through compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating is broadly accurate. However, some details are imprecise or omitted: the diagram shows sorting into accepted and rejected material, but you only say bottles are separated from other trash; it also shows raw material being made into several end products, not just bottles. The description of the stages between sorting and pellet production is compressed, so the process is not fully clear. To strengthen the report, describe each transformation precisely and distinguish the raw-material stage from the final products.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction and overview are followed by the collection stage, the processing stages, and the return to the beginning of the cycle. Sequencing expressions such as “At first,” “before,” and “When” help the reader follow the process. However, most of the report is presented in two long paragraphs, and the second paragraph carries many stages and details at once. The reference in “it” in the opening sentence is also not fully clear because it could refer to the bottles or the products. Use a separate paragraph for the processing and output stages, and make links between stages more explicit—for example, state that the washed plastic is then made into pellets.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “seperated,” “crushed,” “washed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which makes the sequence understandable. There are also relevant attempts to name the outputs, such as “plastic container” and “pencils.” Some choices are informal or imprecise for an academic process description: “dustbin” and “garbage collector vehicle” are less suitable than terms such as “recycling bin” and “collection truck,” while “tiffin box” may not be clear to all readers. Spelling errors in “demontrates” and “seperated” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise labels that match the diagram and check spelling, while avoiding unnecessary repetition of “plastic” where the meaning is already clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a time clause in “when plastic bottles are thrown…” and a relative clause in “which shows how plastic bottles are collected.” Most meanings remain clear, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “contains total of 9 steps” needs an article (“contains a total of nine steps”), and “the use of these end products are completed” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an awkward construction. The opening sentence also shifts from singular “process” to plural “which shows.” Review articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, and vary the structures used to describe the stages. More consistently accurate control would make the report smoother and more precise.

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.