Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

 

The diagram below shows how a biofuel called ethanol is produced.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

This process diagram illustrate the production of the biofuel, better known as ethanol.

overall, there are nine stages of obtain the ethanol.initially the farmers grows the plants and trees, where the sunlight and carbon dioxide plays the significant role for plants and trees's growth. once the plant grew enough they harvest them and from here the industrial processing starts. initially the convert the plants into cellulose which is the several small pieces of plants and then it goes to the lebortry where they truns cellulose to the sugars. at the final stage of making of ethanol they add the microbes. after that the ethanol use for the vehicals like bus, truck, and other transportations like plans as fuel, then the transportation emit the carbon dioxide, plants will obsorbe it and the cycle of producing ethanol will remain the same from growing plants to convert into carbon dioxide

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as ethanol production and include its broad cycle: plant growth, harvesting, conversion, fuel use and carbon dioxide returning to plants. However, several details are inaccurate or unclear. The diagram shows cellulose being processed into sugars, followed by microbes being added to produce ethanol; your account instead says cellulose is turned into sugars “at the lebortry” and does not clearly explain the processing stage. You also name a bus and “plans,” whereas the diagram shows a car, truck and aeroplane. The overview is limited, and the response is 147 words, below the required 150. Add a concise overview and describe the stages and transport modes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the general order of the process, using markers such as “initially,” “once,” “after that” and “at the final stage.” This gives the reader a basic sense of progression. However, nearly all the information is packed into one paragraph, and the sequence is weakened by repeated or unclear transitions, including “initially” twice. Some links between stages are difficult to follow, particularly the move from harvesting to industrial processing and the final explanation of the cycle. Use separate paragraphs for an overview and the detailed stages, and connect each stage explicitly with accurate sequencing language. Clearer sentence boundaries would also make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “production,” “harvest,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes” and “carbon dioxide,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings reduce precision: “lebortry,” “truns,” “vehicals,” “plans” and “obsorbe.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “the significant role for plants and trees’s growth” and “the ethanol use for the vehicals.” Choose standard process terms and check spelling, word forms and collocations. For example, describe the fuel as being “used in” transport and say that plants “absorb” carbon dioxide. More precise vocabulary would help distinguish the stages clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine stages in longer sentences, for example with “where” and “after that,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in basic sentence structure and agreement: “This process diagram illustrate,” “the farmers grows,” and “sunlight and carbon dioxide plays.” Verb forms and articles are also problematic in “there are nine stages of obtain the ethanol” and “once the plant grew enough they harvest them.” Several sentences run together without appropriate capitalisation or punctuation, making the final explanation especially difficult to read. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes, consistent plural forms, and sentence boundaries. Shorter, correctly punctuated sentences would improve clarity while you build confidence with complex structures.

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