Cambridge IELTS Book 16 Writing Task 1 Test 1
The diagram below shows the process for recycling plastic bottles. Summerise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
This essay question is from Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 4 Writing Task 1. How plastic bottles are recycled
How plastic bottles are recycled

The diagram depicts the process of recycling plastic bottles. In summary, plastic bottle recycling is a continuous cycle involving use, collection, sorting, crushing, cleaning, pelletizing, production of new plastic items, and reuse.
After plastic bottles are used, they are placed in recycling bins and then collected by trucks, which transport them to a recycling facility. At the plant, the bottles are sorted, and those suitable for reuse are compressed into large blocks. These blocks are then fed into a crushing machine, breaking them into smaller pieces, which are subsequently cleaned to eliminate any remaining residue.
The clean fragments are then transferred to a machine that converts them into pellets. This machine also heats and melts the pellets, producing raw plastic material. This material is then used to manufacture various plastic products, such as bottles, pens, and reusable shopping bags. Once these items are used, they are recycled again, continuing the cycle. (155 words)
How to Write the Overview
In your overview, if you say the recycling process is cyclical, you have to have a complete cycle that goes back to the start: use, collection, sorting, crushing, cleaning, pelletizing, making new plastic products, and reuse. The diagram hints at the step “use” by showing the user putting an empty bottle into the bin with no description. You have to mention “use” and “reuse”. Otherwise, you don’t have a complete cycle and you can’t say the process is cyclical.
How to Vary Your Language
Step 3 | Recycling center -> Recycling plant
Example They are then transported to a recycling plant by truck.
Step 5 | Crushing -> Breaking down/Grinding
Example The blocks are then broken down into/ground into small pieces by a crushing machine.
Step 5 | Washing -> Cleaning
Example They are subsequently cleaned to remove any residue.
Step 6 | Producing plastic pellets -> Be turned/transformed/converted into plastic pellets
Example The clean small pieces are then poured into a machine where they are turned into pellets.
Step 7 | Heating pellets -> Melting pellets
Step 7 | To form raw material -> To produce/create raw material
Example The pellets are melted in order to produce/create raw material for new products.