Process Diagram Model Answer
Task
The diagram below shows how used glass bottles are collected and recycled. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Chart
Collected from households & recycling bins
Transported to recycling centre by lorry
Sorted by colour (clear, green, brown)
Crushed into cullet (small fragments)
Melted in furnace at high temperature
Poured into moulds — new bottles formed
Cooled gradually & quality-checked
Distributed to manufacturers
Key data
8 stages: (1) Collected from households & bins → (2) Transported by lorry → (3) Sorted by colour → (4) Crushed into cullet → (5) Melted in furnace → (6) Poured into moulds → (7) Cooled & quality-checked → (8) Distributed to manufacturers.
Full Response
Band 7.5 annotated answer
Each paragraph is followed by an examiner note explaining exactly what earns marks.
Introduction
The diagram illustrates the process by which used glass bottles are collected from households and recycled into new bottles.
'Illustrates the process by which' is the standard and correct phrasing for process diagram introductions. 'Collected from households and recycled into new bottles' identifies both the start and end point — giving the reader immediate orientation without describing any stages.
Overview
Key for Task AchievementOverall, the recycling process consists of eight distinct stages, beginning with the collection of used bottles and culminating in the distribution of finished products to manufacturers. The process is linear and involves both mechanical treatment, such as crushing, and thermal treatment in the form of melting.
A strong process overview states: (1) the total number of stages, (2) the start point, (3) the end point, and (4) the overall nature of the process. This overview does all four. 'Mechanical treatment' and 'thermal treatment' categorise the stages intelligently — showing the candidate can group information rather than just list it.
Body Paragraph 1
In the first stage, used glass bottles are collected from households and public recycling bins and subsequently transported to a recycling centre by lorry. Upon arrival, the bottles are sorted according to colour — clear, green, or brown — before being mechanically crushed into small fragments known as cullet. This initial sorting is critical, as mixing different colours of glass produces an inferior final product.
Passive voice is used correctly throughout: 'are collected', 'transported', 'are sorted', 'being crushed'. This is essential for process diagrams — the agent is unimportant; the action is what matters. 'Cullet' is an accurate technical term that earns Lexical Resource marks. The final sentence adds a causal explanation ('as mixing different colours...') — going beyond description to show understanding.
Body Paragraph 2
The cullet is subsequently melted in a furnace at very high temperatures, after which the molten glass is poured into moulds to form new bottles. The bottles are then gradually cooled to prevent cracking and subjected to quality checks before being considered fit for distribution. In the final stage, the finished bottles are delivered to manufacturers, completing the recycling cycle.
Four different sequencers used across the paragraph: 'subsequently', 'after which', 'then', 'before being'. This variety avoids the repetitive use of 'next' or 'then' that characterises Band 5–6 process answers. 'Completing the recycling cycle' in the closing sentence acknowledges the circular nature of the process — a perceptive observation.
Comparison
Band 6 vs Band 7+ overview
The overview is the paragraph that most separates Band 6 from Band 7 in Task 1.
✗ Band 6
“Overall, there are many steps in the glass recycling process. The bottles are collected and then turned into new bottles. It is quite a long process.”
✓ Band 7+
“Overall, the recycling process consists of eight distinct stages, beginning with the collection of used bottles and culminating in the distribution of finished products to manufacturers. The process is linear and involves both mechanical treatment, such as crushing, and thermal treatment in the form of melting.”
What makes the difference
The Band 6 overview is vague ('many steps', 'quite a long process') and adds nothing beyond what the diagram title already says. The Band 7+ specifies eight stages, identifies the precise start and end points, and characterises the nature of the process (linear, mechanical and thermal) — all without describing any individual stage.
Why it scores Band 7.5
Key strengths of this response
Overview states number of stages, start point, end point, and process type — all four elements
Passive voice used correctly throughout: 'are collected', 'are sorted', 'is melted'
Four different sequencers in Body 2: 'subsequently', 'after which', 'then', 'before being'
Technical vocabulary: 'cullet', 'furnace', 'molten glass' — precise register for the topic
Other Task 1 model answers