Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The diagram illustrates the steps to produced biofuel which is named as ethanol which consist of 5 major steps.

Overall, The production of ethanol is based on five parts which work in clockwise motion for production. Firstly, When plants and trees are fully grown, they move to harvesting part which lead them othe processing. Ethanol is used for automobiles, planes and trucks

The firts part is to grow plants from energy and carbon dioxide next they will harvested after harvesting the products are lead to pre-processing to make cellulose. The cellulose is the kind of semi produce product which next use in further production.

Furthermore

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the topic as ethanol production and mention plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, and transport uses, so some relevant stages are included. However, the response covers only a small part of the process: it does not explain processing cellulose into sugars, adding microbes, producing ethanol, or the carbon-dioxide loop that returns to the plants. The overview is also inaccurate in calling the process five parts and describing it as clockwise; the diagram presents a cycle with several distinct stages. The response is incomplete and contains only 105 words, below the required 150. To improve, report the full sequence and give an accurate overview of how the cycle operates, including the role of carbon dioxide.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, with an opening, an overview, and a paragraph beginning “The first part”. Sequencing words such as “Firstly”, “next” and “Furthermore” also show an effort to guide the reader. However, progression is difficult to follow because the overview repeats information and the stages are not presented in a complete, orderly sequence. The final “Furthermore” is left unfinished, and the paragraph ends without a conclusion to the description. Some links are unclear, as in “they move to harvesting part which lead them…”. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the process, then describe each stage in order with clear links such as “after this” and “the resulting cellulose is then processed”.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting”, “pre-processing”, “cellulose” and “production”, and it identifies the product as ethanol. This gives the reader a basic sense of the subject. However, the range is limited, and several phrases are imprecise or awkward, such as “five major steps”, “move to harvesting part” and “semi produce product”. There are also spelling and word-form errors, including “firts” and “produced” in “steps to produced”. These choices sometimes make the process harder to understand. Build a more precise set of terms for describing stages and outputs, and check spelling and collocations; for example, describe cellulose as an intermediate material rather than a “semi produce product”.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including “When plants and trees are fully grown, they move to harvesting part which lead them…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence boundaries occur frequently enough to affect clarity. For example, “steps to produced” uses the wrong verb form, “they will harvested” is missing an auxiliary, and “which lead” does not agree with its subject. Capitalisation after commas is also inconsistent, as in “Overall, The production” and “Firstly, When”. Practise forming accurate passive sentences for process descriptions, such as “The plants are harvested” and “The cellulose is processed”, and check each sentence for a complete verb and correct agreement.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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