Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-01

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 provided demonstrate the recycling process of plastic materials. This is a Nine step process starting from unloading of material till production of final products.

In the first step, a worker is gathering all the plastic material from the trashbin, which is followed by the loading of those material in a large truck. This can be transported to the recycling centre where the staff is particularly assigned for sorting and seperating of gathered material in a correct tray. Once sorting has been conducted, compression of plastic bottles take place which convent them into blocks. Blocks are then crushed using a two wheel machine, where these can break into small pieces. The tanker filled with chemicals is placed underneath to undergo washing. After that, plastic pellets are generated which generally exposed to heating to form raw material. Those raw material then gathered at one place and used to produce different products, such as bags, bottles and boxes. This cycle continues to reduce the wastage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence from collection and sorting through processing to the production of new goods, and you identify that the process is cyclical. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the first stage shows a person putting bottles into a recycling bin, not a worker gathering material from a trash bin, and the diagram does not identify the washing bath as containing chemicals. The overview calls this a nine-step process but does not clearly summarise its key transformation from discarded bottles into raw material and then new products. The final examples are also incomplete: the diagram includes a T-shirt and pencils as well as bottles, containers and a carrier bag. More precise reporting of these features would make the summary fuller and better grounded in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and sequencing phrases such as “In the first step,” “Once sorting has been conducted,” and “After that” help the reader follow the process. The response also moves from collection to processing and then to end products without major disruption. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall arrangement and shows some stronger control through a clear progression. However, the single-paragraph format makes the overview and detailed stages less distinct, while “This cycle continues” is a rather abrupt closing rather than a clear explanation of the loop back to bottle disposal. Use a brief overview followed by a paragraph tracing the stages, and make links between the final products and the cycle’s return explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compression,” “crushed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” which helps describe the stages. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “two wheel machine” and “seperating,” although the latter is misspelled and the former is not a precise description of the equipment. Some choices are awkward or inaccurate: “unloading of material” does not clearly describe placing bottles in a bin, “correct tray” is vague, and “tanker filled with chemicals” adds an unsupported detail. These choices do not prevent the overall meaning from being understood, but more accurate collocations and spelling would improve precision. Prefer the diagram’s labels where possible, such as “recycling bin,” “sorting boxes,” and “washing tank.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “a large truck, which can be transported” and a time clause beginning “Once sorting has been conducted.” The sequence is usually understandable, but some errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction remain. For example, “The diagram provided demonstrate” should use a singular verb, while “compression of plastic bottles take place” also has a subject–verb agreement problem. In “which convent them into blocks,” the verb form is incorrect, and “Those raw material then gathered” lacks both plural agreement and a suitable passive verb. Review agreement and passive constructions in process descriptions, and check each sentence for a complete, correctly formed verb phrase.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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