Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-25

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 shows the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, the recycling of plastic bottles consists of nine stages. The first step starts from the collection of plastic bottles that proceeds to few steps crossing mechanical procedure into to useable products.

Initially, the bottles were discarded in the big bins by the people which carried out by the recycling teams in the recycling van. The next step is handle by human expertise in the recycling centre they sort out the particular plastic bottles. After sorting out the plastic bottles are sent to into compressing blocks the bottles are compressed properly in this step. Furthermore, the compressed blocks move to crushing step the blocks are crushed by the two big crushing wheels leaving the particles into water to be washed.

Moving forward the into machine producing plastic pellets, which forms the heating pellets to form raw material. The raw material is made in this step and organized in proper way which form at last stage to make different recycled products e.g bottles, shirts, pencils, tiffin boxes and recycle bags.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and the creation of new products. The overview identifies a nine-stage process, and the final examples—bottles, shirts, pencils, containers and bags—are consistent with the diagram. This meets the task well, with some features described more fully than others. However, the account stops before explaining that the pellets are heated to form raw material, then gives only a vague description of this material being prepared. It also omits the diagram’s key feature that the process loops back to the start. Make the overview more precise and explain the final stages and cycle explicitly to develop the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs that follow the process from collection to end products. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “The next step,” and “Moving forward” help the reader follow the stages. However, some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “Furthermore, the compressed blocks move to crushing step” and “Moving forward the into machine producing plastic pellets.” The overview’s phrase “crossing mechanical procedure into to useable products” also obscures the progression. Use clear stage-to-stage links and ensure each sentence has a complete, unambiguous connection to the next. Paragraphing is appropriate, but cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressing,” “crushing,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw material,” and you include specific names for several end products. This gives you enough vocabulary to communicate the general process. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal: “big bins,” “recycling van,” “human expertise,” and “crushing wheels” are less suitable than precise descriptions such as recycling bins, collection truck, workers, and rotating gears. “Tiffin boxes” may also be unclear to an international reader; “food containers” is more neutral. There is some repetition of “plastic bottles” and “step.” Aim for accurate process collocations and vary references without sacrificing clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “the bottles were discarded in the big bins by the people which carried out by the recycling teams.” However, several sentence patterns are faulty, and these sometimes make relationships between stages difficult to understand. For example, “The next step is handle by human expertise” has an incorrect verb construction, while “After sorting out the plastic bottles are sent to into compressing blocks” lacks a clear grammatical structure. Tense use also shifts between past (“were discarded”) and present (“The next step is”), although a process description is normally written consistently in the present. Practise complete clauses, passive forms, and sentence boundaries; these improvements would make your range more controlled and your meaning clearer.

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