The diagram below illustrates the stages involved in the production of recycled glass bottles at a recycling facility in Vietnam. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Recycled Glass Bottle Manufacturing Process (Vietnam)
Recycled Glass Bottle Manufacturing Process (Vietnam)

Data note: the process shown is generic to glass recycling worldwide; it is set at a facility in Vietnam for context, reflecting the country's growing domestic glass-recycling industry.

Band 6.5

This 6.5 answer names every stage correctly but uses only everyday vocabulary ('remove dirt', 'cooling stage') and a simple 'because' clause, missing the technical term 'cullet' and the denser appositive-plus-relative-clause sentence the 7.5 answer builds around the annealing stage.

The diagram shows how used glass bottles are collected and turned into new glass bottles at a recycling factory in Vietnam.

Overall, this is a linear process with six stages. It starts with collecting used glass and ends with the finished bottles being checked and packaged for shops.

First, used glass bottles are collected from homes and businesses. After that, the glass is sorted and cleaned to remove dirt, and it is also separated by colour. This step is important because clean glass is needed for the next stage. Next, the clean glass is crushed into small pieces and then melted at a high temperature in a furnace.

Then, the melted glass is poured into moulds and shaped into new bottles. After this, the bottles go through a cooling stage, which is also called annealing, to make the glass stronger and safer. Finally, the bottles are checked for quality and packaged, ready to be sent to shops and other businesses.

Collocations

linear processsorted and cleanedseparated by colourcrushed into small piecescooling stagechecked for quality and packaged

Examiner Notes

  • TR“Overall, this is a linear process with six stages. It starts with collecting used glass and ends with the finished bottles being checked and packaged for shops.” — Correctly frames the whole process by its start and end points, though in simpler wording than the 7.5 answer's overview.
  • LR“the glass is sorted and cleaned to remove dirt, and it is also separated by colour” — Accurate but everyday vocabulary ("remove dirt") that does not reach the technical precision of the 7.5 answer's term "cullet".
  • GRA“This step is important because clean glass is needed for the next stage.” — A simple "because" clause with a passive verb is correct but structurally much plainer than the 7.5 answer's appositive-plus-relative-clause sentence.
  • CC“After this, the bottles go through a cooling stage, which is also called annealing, to make the glass stronger and safer.” — The basic linker "After this" combined with a simple relative clause explains the technical term but with less cohesive density than the 7.5 answer's version.
  • TR“Finally, the bottles are checked for quality and packaged, ready to be sent to shops and other businesses.” — Correctly closes the description at the diagram's final stage, matching the overview's stated endpoint.
Band 7.0

This 7.0 answer upgrades the vocabulary with phrases like 'impurities are removed' and uses a reduced clause ('Once cleaned...') for subordination, but it still stops short of the 7.5 answer's technical term 'cullet' and its single tightly packed appositive-and-relative-clause sentence.

The diagram illustrates how used glass bottles are collected and processed into new glass bottles at a recycling facility in Vietnam, covering six distinct stages.

Overall, this is a linear process made up of six stages, beginning with the collection of used glass and concluding with finished bottles that have been checked and packaged for distribution.

In the first stage, used glass bottles are collected from households and businesses, providing the raw material for recycling. This glass then goes through a sorting and cleaning stage, during which impurities are removed and the glass is separated by colour. Once cleaned, the glass is crushed into small fragments before being melted at high temperatures in a furnace.

The molten glass is then poured into moulds and shaped into new bottles. These bottles subsequently pass through a cooling and annealing stage, which strengthens the glass and reduces the risk of breakage before it reaches customers. Finally, the bottles undergo quality checks and are packaged, ready for distribution to shops and other businesses across the country.

Collocations

raw material for recyclingimpurities are removedseparated by colourcrushed into small fragmentsmelted at high temperaturescooling and annealing stage

Examiner Notes

  • TR“Overall, this is a linear process made up of six stages, beginning with the collection of used glass and concluding with finished bottles that have been checked and packaged for distribution.” — A strong overview sentence framing the six-stage process by its start and end points, close to the 7.5 answer's model.
  • LR“This glass then goes through a sorting and cleaning stage, during which impurities are removed and the glass is separated by colour.” — "Impurities are removed" is more precise than the 6.5 answer's "remove dirt", though it still falls short of the 7.5 answer's technical term "cullet".
  • GRA“Once cleaned, the glass is crushed into small fragments before being melted at high temperatures in a furnace.” — The reduced clause "Once cleaned" plus a passive "before being melted" shows controlled subordination, a step up from the 6.5 answer's simple sentences.
  • CC“These bottles subsequently pass through a cooling and annealing stage, which strengthens the glass and reduces the risk of breakage before it reaches customers.” — "Subsequently" is a more formal cohesive marker than the 6.5 answer's "After this", and the relative clause adds detail without breaking the sentence flow.
  • TR“Finally, the bottles undergo quality checks and are packaged, ready for distribution to shops and other businesses across the country.” — Correctly closes the report at the diagram's final stage, matching the endpoint stated in the overview.
Band 7.5

This 7.5 answer stands out for introducing the precise technical term 'cullet' instead of a vague paraphrase, and for packing an appositive noun phrase plus a relative clause with two coordinated verbs into a single sentence describing the annealing stage.

The diagram illustrates the six main stages involved in producing new glass bottles from recycled materials at a recycling facility in Vietnam.

Overall, the process begins with the collection of discarded glass and ends with finished bottles that have been quality-checked and packaged, ready for distribution to retailers.

Initially, used glass bottles are collected from households and businesses, providing the raw material for the recycling cycle. This collected glass then undergoes a sorting and cleaning phase, during which impurities are removed and the glass is separated by colour. Once cleaned, the glass is crushed into small fragments known as cullet, which are subsequently melted at high temperatures in a furnace.

At the fourth stage, the molten glass is poured into moulds and shaped into new bottles. These freshly formed bottles then pass through a cooling and annealing stage, a controlled process of heating and cooling that strengthens the glass and reduces the risk of breakage. Finally, the bottles undergo quality control and are packaged, ready to be distributed to beverage producers and retailers across the country.

Collocations

principal stagesraw materialrecycling cyclesorting and cleaning phasehigh temperaturesmolten glasscooling and annealingquality control

Examiner Notes

  • TR“Overall, the process begins with the collection of discarded glass and ends with finished bottles that have been quality-checked and packaged, ready for distribution to retailers.” — A single overview sentence frames the entire six-stage process by its start and end points, exactly as a Task 1 process overview should.
  • LR“the glass is crushed into small fragments known as cullet” — Introducing the technical term "cullet" shows precise, industry-specific lexical resource rather than a vague paraphrase like "small pieces."
  • GRA“These freshly formed bottles then pass through a cooling and annealing stage, a controlled process of heating and cooling that strengthens the glass and reduces the risk of breakage.” — An appositive noun phrase followed by a relative clause with two coordinated verbs packs a technical explanation into a single well-controlled sentence.
  • CC“At the fourth stage, the molten glass is poured into moulds and shaped into new bottles.” — The explicit sequencing marker "At the fourth stage" keeps the reader oriented within the six-step process, aiding cohesion across paragraphs.
  • TR“Finally, the bottles undergo quality control and are packaged, ready to be distributed to beverage producers and retailers across the country.” — Correctly closes the report at the diagram's final stage, matching the endpoint promised in the overview sentence.