Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram shows the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, process consists of nine steps beginning with throwing plastic bottles in dustbin, then garbage pickup truck collect the waste and in the end make the raw material which is then used for producing end products like bottles, tiffin and pencils. The plastic bottles goes through the process like sorting, crushing heating.

First, through all plastic bottles in dustbins instead of in our surrounding and then garbage pickup trucks collect the bottles, which are carried to the recycling centre for sorting into different categories. These all bottles are compressed into blocks with the help of high pressure machines. Next, these blocks are crushed into tiny parts and washed.

In the sixth step, plastic pellets are crafted with the help of machine. Afterwards, pellets are heated to form raw material and this raw material the used to producing end products like again bottles, tiffins, pencils and bags.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages and give a clear overview of the nine-step process, including the return to making end products such as bottles and pencils. The sequence from collection and sorting through compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating is broadly accurate. This meets the task well, though some details are less fully reported: the sorting stage separates suitable bottles from rejected items, and the diagram shows the finished raw material being used to produce several different items, including clothing and food containers. The overview also says the process ends with raw material, although the cycle actually continues to end products and back to the recycling bin. Including these features would make the account more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a sensible overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by stages in sequence, with transitions such as “First,” “Next,” and “Afterwards.” This makes the process easy to follow. However, some links between ideas are mechanical or unclear. For example, “In the sixth step” is a rather abrupt transition, and “and this raw material the used to producing” interrupts the final stage’s progression. The overview also repeats several stages that are then described in the body, while the final return arrow is not clearly connected to the sequence. Use clearer references such as “The resulting material” and explicitly link the end products back to the first stage to strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “sorting,” “compressed,” “crushed,” “washed,” “pellets,” and “raw material,” so the reader can understand the main stages. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “different categories” and “high pressure machines.” Some choices are inaccurate or informal for this diagram: “garbage pickup truck” is less suitable than “collection truck,” “dustbins” is not the clearest term for recycling bins, and “tiffins” does not match the diagram’s food containers. “Crafted” is also an unnatural collocation for pellets. More precise, diagram-based vocabulary would improve flexibility and accuracy without changing the clear overall meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “which” and sequencing phrases such as “Afterwards.” However, some grammatical errors remain and occasionally make relationships unclear. Examples include “process consists” (missing an article), “truck collect” (subject–verb agreement), “The plastic bottles goes” (agreement), and “this raw material the used to producing” (faulty verb construction). The opening instruction “First, through all plastic bottles” also has an incorrect verb form. These errors show that sentence patterns are not yet consistently controlled, although the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Check articles, agreement, and verb forms, and proofread each sentence for a complete, correctly formed clause.

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

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