Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-04

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 diagram shows how plastic bottles are reformed into different products in the recycling process.

Overall, the recycling process consists of different steps, beginning with the collection of plastic bottles, breaking it up, and using it to form new different products.

Before recycling, people throw the bottles in recycling bins. From there, the bottles are collected by trucks for transport into a recycling facility. The bottles are sorted there into various different stashes, after which many of the bottles are compressed together into blocks.

After these blocks are formed, they are crushed into tiny particles that have to be washed before being put into a machine to produce plastic pellets. These pellets are then heated, making raw material that can be used. The raw material is used to form new products such as more bottles, boxes, shirts, pencils etc. The recycle process helps prevent plastic waste and encourages reusing limited recourses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You cover the main stages accurately, from putting bottles in bins and collection by truck through sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating, to making new products. The overview also identifies the process as a sequence that turns used bottles into products, and the examples of bottles, boxes, shirts and pencils are grounded in the diagram. This gives the account a clear, relevant focus. To make the description more fully developed, include the diagram’s important sorting distinction: bottles are separated into accepted and rejected items. You could also make the closed-loop nature explicit by noting that end products can return to the recycling bin. The final comment about preventing waste and conserving resources is plausible, but the diagram itself does not show these outcomes, so prioritise describing its stages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a brief introduction, an overview and two paragraphs that follow the process in a logical order. Sequencing phrases such as “From there,” “After which” and “After these blocks are formed” help the reader track the stages, and the progression from collection to new products is easy to follow. This is clear organisation throughout. Some links could be more precise: “From there” refers broadly to the bins, while “After which” makes the sorting-to-compression relationship slightly awkward. The final sentence shifts from describing the diagram to commenting on its environmental benefits, which interrupts the process account. Keep the focus on the cycle and use a clear link to show that the end products can re-enter it.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “collected,” “compressed,” “crushed,” “washed,” “pellets” and “raw material,” so the stages are generally easy to understand. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “recycling facility.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural: “different stashes” does not clearly describe sorting, “breaking it up” is vague, and “new different products” is repetitive. “Recourses” is a spelling error, and “recycle process” is not the natural form for this context. Aim for precise terms that match the diagram, such as “categories,” “shredded plastic” and “recycling process,” and avoid adding vague or repetitive modifiers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the overview’s participle sequence, “beginning with … breaking it up, and using it,” and the clause “that can be used.” Most sentences communicate the process clearly, and the past participle forms in “are collected,” “are compressed” and “are crushed” suit a process description. Some grammatical control is still uneven. In the overview, “breaking it up” does not agree clearly with the plural “bottles,” and the parallel structure after “beginning with” is not fully controlled. “The recycle process” also has an incorrect noun form, while “such as more bottles, boxes, shirts, pencils etc.” needs more careful punctuation. Use consistent plural reference and parallel phrasing to improve accuracy.

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