Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-11

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 6.0)

The given diagram shows the process of biofuel named ethanol production.

Overall, the process has five main steps from growing plants to delivering ethanol. The diagram also shows how the trees and plants reuse the byproduct of ethanol as their photosynthesis process.

The whole process starts from harvesting the trees and plants. As we know plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce energy. To make ethanol we take advantage of that energy. After collecting the trees and the plants, they go through a pre processing step, where they turn into cellulose. The cellulose get processed once again and turns into sugars. Microbes are then added with the sugars and thus ethanol get produced.

Ethanols are used in different way. It is mainly used as energy source of cars, trucks and planes. These vehicles use ethanol and produce carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is very bad for our environment but trees and plants uses it again for their photosynthesis process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main stages from plant growth through processing, sugar production and the addition of microbes, and you include the cycle’s return of carbon dioxide to plants. The overview also recognises the process as a cycle, which is an important feature. However, some details are incomplete or imprecise: the sequence begins with plants growing using sunlight and carbon dioxide, not with harvesting, and the diagram shows ethanol being used by three transport types rather than simply being “delivered.” The explanation that plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis is relevant, but the claim that they use it to “produce energy” is not quite accurate. To strengthen the response, describe the opening stage in the correct order and report the diagram’s stages and cycle more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the production stages and then the fuel’s use and carbon cycle. This makes the process easy to follow, and sequencing phrases such as “After collecting” and “Microbes are then added” help connect stages. The progression is not fully secure, however, because the body begins with harvesting even though plant growth is the first stage, and “As we know” interrupts the formal process description. Some references, such as “they” in “they go through a pre processing step,” could be clearer. For stronger cohesion, follow the diagram’s sequence consistently and use concise links that show how each stage leads to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “pre processing,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes” and “carbon dioxide,” so the reader can understand the main stages. There is also some useful variation in describing the process, such as “turn into” and “get produced.” However, several choices are imprecise or awkward for an academic process report: “delivering ethanol” does not accurately describe its use, “reuse the byproduct” is not the clearest description of the carbon cycle, and “used in different way” is an unnatural phrase. “Ethanols” is also not the appropriate form when referring to the fuel generally. Aim for precise process collocations and avoid conversational wording such as “As we know.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some more developed structures, including “After collecting the trees and the plants, they go through…” and “Microbes are then added…”. The meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “The cellulose get processed” and “trees and plants uses it again”; the passive form should also be controlled consistently in “ethanol get produced.” Articles and number are sometimes missing or awkward, as in “as energy source,” while “the trees and plants reuse” does not accurately express the intended reference. To improve, check agreement between each subject and verb, use articles where needed, and practise accurate passive constructions for describing stages in a process.

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