Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-07-28

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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates the life cycle of a biofuel production called ethanol. This life cycle consists of various stages, following them leads to the production of ethanol.

Overall, Ethanol production requires natural support as well as human intervention. In contrast, ethanol is an essential biofuel that reduces pollution and prevents air pollution. Ethanol production process is interesting in itself as it follows a variety of stages.

Carbon Dioxide is the harmful gas released through vehicles such as cars, trucks and aircrafts. This gas is preserved and collected by plants and trees to grow, they require energy provided in the form of sunlight integrated with carbon dioxide. Farmers perform harvesting for pre-processing of these grown plants and trees, providing cellulose.

The interesting part coming up is the processing techniques where this particular cellulose is acquired and utilized, delivering sugars obtained. Microbes are added to these sugars resulting in the creation of the biofuel called ethanol. Ethanol is then used in vehicles as a replacement of petrol and diesel, resulting as less harmful compared to others. This process continues as a cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response provides a general overview of the process, but it fails to effectively report the main features or make clear comparisons. The description is somewhat narrative rather than analytical. For instance, the text describes the process as 'interesting' and focuses on the environmental benefits of ethanol, which is outside the scope of a data/process summary task. It misses key technical details from the diagram, such as the specific conversion of cellulose to sugar or the fermentation stage. To improve, focus strictly on the steps shown in the diagram and avoid subjective commentary or external information not present in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the flow of the process. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'this' to start sentences. The transition between the environmental context and the technical process is abrupt. While there is a logical sequence, the progression of ideas could be smoother by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'subsequently', 'following this', 'in the final stage') to better connect the stages of the cycle.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for a technical process description. Phrases like 'natural support' and 'interesting part coming up' are informal and imprecise. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'ethanol' and 'process'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more specific technical vocabulary related to industrial processes, such as 'conversion', 'fermentation', 'by-product', or 'raw material', rather than relying on general descriptive language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'production called ethanol' (should be 'production of ethanol') and 'replacement of petrol' (should be 'replacement for petrol'). Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as comma splices in the third paragraph ('...plants and trees to grow, they require energy...'). While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they demonstrate a lack of control over more complex sentence structures.

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