Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-14

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)

The process diagram illustrates how a biofuel named ethanol is produced.

Overall,this process is started from getting energy sunlight and carbon-dioxide helps in growth of plants and tress.Then after numeorus processes is converted into sugar which added microbes then ethanol fromed and used in transport vehciles.

The process begins with growtg of plants and trees using sunlight energy from sun and carbon-dioxide from emissions of vehicles.Then plants and tress are harvested by farmers.Followed by tractor,they moved to factory for further pre-processing.In warehouse, it is transformed into cellulose.After converted into cellulose, these are taken for production into futher processing.

After processing cellulose in production area,these are converted into sugars.These sugars have microbes addded.Then ,these microbes are converted into Ethanol which is being used for moving vehcile as power for engine.These vehicles are aeroplanes, luggage trucks , family cars used ethanol for moving one place to another.Then,these vehicles throw emissions in the air as the form of pollution. These pullutants have carbon-dioxide which is being usesd with sunlight to provide benfits for growth iin plant and trees.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages from plant growth and harvesting through pre-processing, cellulose, processing, sugars, microbes and ethanol, and your overview identifies the broad sequence and transport use. You also recognise the cycle by linking vehicle emissions back to plant growth. These are relevant features and show a sound understanding of the diagram. To make the account more complete and precise, explain that ethanol is used by cars, trucks and aeroplanes, and that carbon dioxide released by these forms of transport returns to support plant growth alongside sunlight. Some details are unclear or unsupported: for example, the diagram does not specify a warehouse, farmers, or that the vehicles’ emissions are pollution. A more accurate overview and clearer description of the cycle would strengthen the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the production stages and the final use of ethanol. The stages are generally presented in the correct order, and words such as “Then,” “After,” and “These” help connect ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, with repeated sequencing phrases and several long sentences that combine multiple stages without clear boundaries. For instance, the final paragraph moves from processing to sugars, microbes, ethanol, transport and emissions in quick succession. Some references are also unclear, as in “these are taken for production” and “these microbes are converted into Ethanol.” Use shorter, clearly focused sentences and more precise references to make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “emissions,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. However, the range is limited and several word-choice or spelling errors make parts of the description difficult to read. Examples include “tress,” “numeorus,” “vehciles,” “pullutants,” and “benfits.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “getting energy sunlight” and “used for moving vehicle as power for engine.” Aim for accurate spelling and standard collocations, and avoid adding imprecise descriptions such as “luggage trucks.” More precise process language would make the account clearer and more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a passive construction in “plants and trees are harvested” and a sequence of clauses describing later stages. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement and punctuation sometimes make relationships between stages unclear. For example, “Then after numerous processes is converted into sugar” lacks a clear subject and a correctly formed verb phrase, while “these sugars have microbes added” is awkwardly structured. The sentence beginning “After processing cellulose in production area” also needs clearer grammatical framing. Practise building complete sentences with an explicit subject and verb, and check articles, agreement and punctuation when joining clauses.

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