IELTS Task 1: Glass Bottle Recycling (Process Diagram)

The Task

The diagram below shows how glass bottles are recycled and reused. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

↻ Cyclical process — step 8 returns to step 1

1
Used glass bottles are collected from homes and recycling banks.
2
Bottles are transported to a recycling plant.
3
Glass is sorted by colour and cleaned to remove labels and caps.
4
The cleaned glass is crushed into small fragments called cullet.
5
The cullet is melted in a furnace at very high temperature.
6
The molten glass is poured into moulds and shaped into new bottles.
7
The new bottles are inspected, filled and distributed to shops.
8
Consumers use the bottles, which are then returned to step 1.

Start Writing This Task →

Sample Band 8 Response

160 words

Model answer written by EduForEveryone — for guidance only. Not an official examiner response.

The diagram illustrates the cyclical process through which glass bottles are recycled and reused.

Overall, the process is continuous and repeatable, consisting of eight stages that begin with the collection of used bottles and end with consumers returning them, so that the cycle starts again.

Initially, used glass bottles are collected from homes and recycling banks and transported to a recycling plant. There, the glass is sorted by colour and cleaned to remove labels and caps. Once clean, it is crushed into small fragments known as cullet.

In the next phase, the cullet is melted in a furnace at a very high temperature until it becomes molten. This molten glass is then poured into moulds and shaped into new bottles. After being inspected, the new bottles are filled and distributed to shops, where consumers purchase and use them. Crucially, the used bottles are then returned to the collection stage, completing the loop and allowing the entire process to repeat indefinitely.