Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-31

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 given diagram demonstrates the process for recycling plastic bottles. This eco-friendly process represents how wasted plastic is collected, cleaned and used again.

The first step shows a person disposing plastic bottles in a trash box. In the second step a garbage collecting vehicle arrives and takes the garbagge to a recycling center. In this recycling center, the trash is sorted into two categories. One category includes things which will be recycled and the other box contain all the material which can not be reused.

As we can see in step four, the sorted material is compressed itno small blocks before getting crushed. After being crushed, it goes into the water. The step six and seven illustrates how plastic pellets are produced and then heated for a while so they turn into a raw material.

This raw material is then organized neatly to be used again. Figure nine shows some end products such as plastic bottles, stationary items and clothes made by using the recycled plastic.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages from disposal and collection through sorting, processing and the production of new items, and the opening gives a relevant overview of the recycling cycle. The account is generally accurate, including the two sorting outcomes and the conversion of pellets into raw material. However, some details are less fully reported: the diagram shows the plastic being washed after crushing, but “it goes into the water” is vague, and the final stage’s arrow back to the first stage is not mentioned, so the closed-loop nature could be made clearer. “Organized neatly” also does not explain that the raw material is bound into blocks or sacks on a pallet. These omissions keep the description from being fully developed, although the key process is covered.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear progression through the stages, and the paragraphing separates the introduction from the process description effectively. Sequencing phrases such as “The first step,” “In the second step,” and “After being crushed” help readers follow the order. The final paragraph also moves logically from raw material to end products. Cohesion is generally clear, though the repeated step-by-step framing can feel mechanical, and “This raw material” refers back to a stage described only briefly. You could improve the flow by grouping related stages—for example, sorting and compression, then crushing, washing and pellet production—and using a wider range of concise links. A concluding sentence noting that the process loops back to bottle disposal would also give the account a stronger sense of completion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “compressed,” “crushed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which makes the stages understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “eco-friendly process” and “end products.” However, some choices are imprecise or unsuitable for this diagram: “trash box” and “garbage collecting vehicle” are less natural than “recycling bin” and “collection truck,” while “stationary items” should be “stationery items.” The spelling errors “garbagge” and “itno” also show that word forms and spelling need closer checking. “Organized neatly” is vague for the material being prepared for reuse. More precise process collocations would make the description clearer and more appropriately academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the passive construction “is compressed” and the time clause “before getting crushed.” Most sentences communicate the sequence successfully. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “disposing plastic bottles,” the verb pattern needs “of”; “the other box contain” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “the sorted material is compressed itno small blocks before getting crushed” needs clearer sentence construction, such as a comma or a linking phrase before the next action. “The step six and seven illustrates” also has a number-agreement problem. Check agreement and verb patterns, and use passive forms consistently when describing a process. These are generally understandable errors, but correcting them would improve control.

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