The diagram below shows the environmental issues raised by a product over its lifecycle.
Sample Response
The diagram illustrates environmental impacts associated withenvironmental issues created by a consumer product during its lifecycle. It can be clearly seen that there are seven steps in the product manufacturing process, beginning with planning and design and culminating in recycling and these steps have negative consequences to the environment. To begin with, the product lifecyclemanufacturing begins with planning and designthe planning and design. Once this stage is completeOnce it is complete, the next step, consumption of materials and energy resources, takes place andwhich is followed by productionmanufacturing of the product. These two steps consume natural resourcesresource and produce waste and emitemit waste and CO2, which are detrimentalCO2 which is detrimental to the environment. Afterwards, the productproducts are packaged, distributed and sold at retail outletspacked, distributed and offered in retail outlets. The products are thenunquestionably used by customers who either dispose of the productdispose the product or recycle it. Disposing of the productDisposal of products can harmseriously harms the environment. However, recycling of the product reduces negative impacts on the ecosystem. Moreover, customers provide feedback in order to improve the product planning.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response follows the lifecycle logically and covers all seven labelled stages, including disposal, recycling and the feedback loop, with generally varied and appropriate language. Its main limitation is that it adds unsupported claims about waste, carbon dioxide and environmental harm, and its one-paragraph structure compresses the description. Focus first on distinguishing what the diagram explicitly shows from reasonable but unprovided interpretation, while grouping the main cycle and its branches more clearly.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All seven stages and the main disposal, recycling and feedback branches are identified, but the overview oversimplifies the cycle and several environmental effects are not shown in the diagram.
Describe the diagram’s explicit flows accurately, including recycling returning to material and energy consumption, without adding unsupported claims about emissions or ecological impact.
Coherence and Cohesion
The lifecycle is presented in a clear sequence with effective progression, although the single paragraph compresses the overview, main cycle and branching outcomes.
Use a separate overview and divide the details between the main production-to-use sequence and the disposal, recycling and feedback branches.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a good range of process vocabulary, though a few choices such as “unquestionably” and “consequences to” are awkward or unnecessary.
Prefer precise neutral phrasing such as “adverse effects on the environment” and reserve evaluative language for information explicitly shown.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are used with generally good control, while a few errors in noun number, coordination and verb patterns remain.
Correct forms such as “natural resources,” “dispose of the product” and the coordination of long overview clauses.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The diagram below shows the environmental issues raised by a product over its lifecycle.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.