The diagram shows the design of a modern landfill for household waste.
Sample Response
The given diagramdiagrams illustrateprovide an illustration of a modern landfill for household wastewastes. Overall, a typical landfill is a man-made hole dug into natural rock and lined with two layersdug on a solid, two-layer base designed to hold household wastein which household refuse is kept and waste liquidtoxic liquids are removed from the landfill throughby the use of a system of pipes.
The construction of a landfill commences when a large hole is dug out of a site with natural rock underneath. The bottom and sides of the holeThe bottom of the hole is then linedthereafter covered with a layer of clay and a layer of synthetic materialanother layer of unspecified synthetic substance. A drainage tank which is a box-shaped compartment dug through the two aforementioned layers and a set of drainage pipes are also installed.
When used, the landfill is filled up with household waste, with the waste liquid drainingleachate being extracted and eventually flowing out of the site through the drainage pipesin liners. Once the landfill is fullthe rubbish has been converted into a mud-like compound, the landfill is sealed with clay, and gases from the wastegases that are emitted as a result of the conversion are released through pipesis eventually pumped out to an unspecified zone
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response has a clear overview and follows the landfill from construction through use to closure in a generally logical sequence. Its main weakness is technical accuracy: it invents the waste becoming a mud-like compound and confuses the route of the liquid waste, while some construction details are imprecise. The priority is to describe only the labelled stages and distinguish drainage of leachate from the separate gas outlet.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The principal stages and several key components are identified, but invented conversion details and inaccurate descriptions of drainage limit task accuracy.
State that liquid waste drains through the tank and pipes during use, then describe clay sealing and gas removal at closure without adding an unsupported transformation.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response moves clearly from construction to use and closure, with sensible paragraphing and generally effective sequencing.
Make the final paragraph's progression more explicit by separating the use stage from the closure stage.
Lexical Resource
There is a good range of process vocabulary, although choices such as in liners, mud-like compound, and unspecified zone are imprecise or unsupported.
Use the diagram's exact functional terms, including drainage pipes, drainage tank, liquid waste, clay cover, and gas pipes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied sentence structures are generally clear, but errors in articles, agreement, and clause construction remain noticeable.
Check noun-phrase articles and subject-verb agreement, particularly in phrases such as a synthetic substance and gases that are emitted are pumped out.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The diagram shows the design of a modern landfill for household waste.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.