The Recycling Process for Plastic Bottles
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 208 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
The diagram below shows the stages involved in recycling used plastic bottles into new products. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Flowchart Stages] 1. Household disposal in kerbside recycling bin 2. Collection by waste-management truck 3. Transport to Material Recovery Facility (MRF) 4. Sorting: bottles separated from other recyclables by optical scanners and conveyor belts 5. Shredding: bottles cut into small flakes 6. Washing: flakes cleaned to remove labels and residue 7. Drying and melting: flakes heated and turned into molten plastic 8. Extrusion into pellets 9. Pellets sold to manufacturers 10. Manufacture of new products: bottles, clothing fibre, garden furniture 11. Products distributed back to consumers (closed loop)
How to approach it
- 01Begin with a paraphrased introduction and a clear overview of the number of stages
- 02Group the stages into logical phases (collection, processing, remanufacture)
- 03Use passive voice consistently: 'are shredded', 'are washed', 'are melted'
- 04Use sequencing words: first, subsequently, once, finally
- 05Mention that this is a closed loop in both the overview and conclusion
Model answer
208 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
The flowchart illustrates the process by which discarded plastic bottles are transformed into new consumer goods, comprising eleven stages from household disposal to redistribution.
Overall, the process is a closed-loop system that can be divided into three broad phases: collection, processing, and remanufacture. Throughout, the original bottles undergo progressive mechanical and thermal changes before re-emerging as a range of useful products.
The cycle begins when consumers place empty bottles in their kerbside recycling bin. The bottles are then collected by waste-management trucks and transported to a Material Recovery Facility, where automated optical scanners and conveyor belts separate plastics from other recyclables such as paper and glass.
Once isolated, the bottles enter the processing phase. They are first shredded into small flakes, which are subsequently washed to remove labels, glue, and any food residue. After drying, the flakes are heated until they melt into a viscous liquid, which is then extruded through fine nozzles and cut into uniform pellets.
In the final phase, these pellets are sold to manufacturers, who use them as raw material to produce new bottles, polyester fibre for clothing, and durable items such as garden furniture. The finished goods are then distributed back to consumers, completing the closed loop and reducing demand for virgin plastic.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 38 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
0.5 more than the median answer for this task type
8 words at the shortest, 32 at the longest
3 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 20.8 words and vary by 7.1 words either side of that, running from 8 words to 32. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 5 of the 10 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
8 in total, spread across 3 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
such as
subsequently, then, once
overall
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 86 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 76 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 5 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
All stages described, overview given, grouped logically
Coherence & Cohesion
Clear sequencing and grouping of stages
Lexical Resource
Process vocabulary: shredded, extruded, melted, distributed
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Accurate passive forms and sequence linkers
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