Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-29

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 6.5)

The cyclical diagram illustrates how the plastic bottles are recycled and different products are made with the recycled material and this process keep on repeating.

Overall, the whole process consists of 9 stages, starting with throwing bottles in the trash box and ending with the production of several plastic products and the cycle continues.

Initially, the used plastic bottles are thrown into the trash boxes. These boxes are carried away by garbage trucks which takes them into the recycling center. In the recycling center, the bottles are sorted by a human. Afterwards, the sorted bottles are compressed into blocks and these blocks are then crushed by machines.

After crushing phase, the material is washed and undergo a process where it takes shape of plastic pellets. These pallets then undergo heating and form raw material. With this raw material, several plastic products are made including bottles, bags etc. These products are thrown into garbage box after using and the process keeps repeating.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence from disposal through collection, sorting, processing and the manufacture of new products, and your overview correctly identifies the repeating cycle and its nine stages. This gives the report a clear account of the diagram’s central features. Some details are less fully reported: for example, the sorting stage separates acceptable bottles from rejected items, and the diagram shows the plastic being washed before it is made into pellets. Your account mentions sorting and washing but does not explain the rejection or clarify the order as precisely as it could. The final return to the bin is relevant, though “thrown into garbage box” is less exact than describing the products being recycled after use. More precise coverage of these details would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised in a sensible order: an introduction and overview are followed by the early collection stages and then the later processing stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “Afterwards,” and “After crushing phase” help the reader follow the process, and the final sentence returns to the cycle. This coherent progression is a strength. However, some links are mechanical, and the reference to “These boxes” is unclear because the bottles, rather than boxes, are collected by the truck. The transition from washing to pellet production could also be made more explicit. Use clearer references and vary the linking language—for example, “The collected bottles are then taken…”—to make cohesion more precise and less dependent on repeated stage-by-stage connectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed,” “washed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which communicates the main stages. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “cyclical diagram” and “recycling center.” Some choices are imprecise or incorrectly formed: “trash box” is not a natural term for a recycling bin, “pallets” means platforms for transporting goods rather than plastic pellets, and “takes shape of” is an awkward collocation. “Garbage trucks” also suggests ordinary waste collection rather than the recycling collection shown. These slips do not prevent understanding, but more accurate process vocabulary and collocations would make the description clearer and more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which takes them into the recycling center” and a time clause in “after using.” Most stages remain understandable, and the sequence is expressed with generally appropriate present-tense forms. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In the opening, “this process keep” needs subject–verb agreement (“keeps”), while “trucks which takes” has a plural subject with a singular verb. The sentence “the material is washed and undergo a process” also shifts incorrectly between passive and active forms; use “undergoes” or “is put through.” In addition, “takes shape of” needs an article (“takes the shape of”). Checking agreement and maintaining consistent verb forms would improve accuracy.

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