The diagram below shows the process for recycling plastic bottles.
Sample Response
The process diagram meticulously delineates the nine-stage process involved in recycling plastic bottles - beginning with consumers discarding them in the designated bins and culminating in the production of new consumer plastic products.
Overall, plastic bottle recycling is a circular system where used bottles are transformed into raw materials for a variety of new items, which can then be recycled again.
Plastic bottle recycling begins with consumers depositing used plastic bottles into designated recycling bins. These bottles are subsequently collected and transported to a recycling plant. Upon arrival, the bottles undergo a crucial sorting phase in which workers manually separate recyclable plastics from other waste. Following this, the sorted bottles are compressed into large, compact blocks, which are then fed into crushing machines. This mechanical breakdown yields small plastic fragments.
These fragments are thoroughly washed to ensure purity before being introduced into a machine that produces plastic pellets. In the next stage, these pellets are subjected to heat, forming the raw material essential for manufacturing a diverse range of plastic-based goods. Finally, these refined raw materials are rolled out to produce various end products, such as t-shirts, pens, and new plastic bottles or containers, thus completing the cycle as these products will eventually be recycled once again.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use neutral description Original: meticulously delineates Suggested revision: illustrates Why it matters: The simpler verb is more natural for introducing a process diagram.
- 2. Describe disposal precisely Original: discarding them in the designated bins Suggested revision: placing them in designated recycling bins Why it matters: ‘Placing’ and ‘recycling bins’ describe the first illustrated stage more precisely.
- 3. Improve noun order Original: new consumer plastic products Suggested revision: new plastic products Why it matters: The shorter noun phrase is clearer and avoids the awkward modifier sequence.
- 4. Use formal relative form Original: where used bottles Suggested revision: in which used bottles Why it matters: ‘In which’ refers more precisely to a system or process.
- 5. Match the visual Original: plastics Suggested revision: bottles Why it matters: The sorting stage in the diagram specifically shows bottles being separated from unsuitable items.
- 6. Remove redundant modifier Original: large, compact blocks Suggested revision: compact blocks Why it matters: ‘Compact’ already conveys compression, so ‘large’ adds little useful detail.
- 7. Avoid unsupported purpose Original: to ensure purity Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: The visual shows washing but does not state that its purpose is to ensure purity.
- 8. Use concise terminology Original: a diverse range of plastic-based goods Suggested revision: a range of plastic products Why it matters: The revision conveys the same meaning with more economical wording.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: Finally, these refined raw materials are rolled out to produce various end products, such as t-shirts, pens, and new plastic bottles or containers, thus completing the cycle as these products will eventually be recycled once again. Suggested revision: Finally, the raw material is used to make end products such as T-shirts, pens and new plastic bottles or containers, which can be recycled again. Why it matters: The diagram shows raw material being used for production, not being rolled out.
Suggested Rewrites
- meticulously delineates illustrates
- discarding them in the designated bins placing them in designated recycling bins
- new consumer plastic products new plastic products
- where used bottles in which used bottles
- plastics bottles
- large, compact blocks compact blocks
Why this response received Band 8.5
The response gives a comprehensive, logically sequenced account of the recycling cycle and accurately captures the nine main stages, supported by a clear overview. Its main limitation is occasional overstatement or imprecise wording, such as describing the raw materials as being rolled out, which the diagram does not show as a separate action. The highest-priority improvement is to keep every process verb strictly tied to the visual evidence.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All nine stages are covered in the correct order, and the overview accurately identifies the process as a cycle.
Describe the raw material as being used to make the end products without adding the unsupported action rolled out.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response progresses smoothly from collection to new products, with clear paragraphing and well-managed referencing.
Keep the final stage slightly more concise so the close of the sequence remains as direct as the earlier stages.
Lexical Resource
A broad and generally precise process vocabulary is used flexibly throughout the description.
Prefer neutral visual-reporting language over evaluative or ornate choices such as meticulously and crucial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are handled with strong control, and the response is virtually free of grammatical errors.
Maintain this accuracy while simplifying the occasional heavily modified sentence for maximum clarity.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The diagram below shows the process for recycling plastic bottles.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.