Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-06

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 diagram illustrates the procedure of production of a biofuel called ethanol.

Overall, it can be seen that it is a chain of several steps, which starts from the combination of sunlight and carbon dioxide in environment, which is used by plants and trees to grow, and these plants help to produce ethanol; after that, the ethanol use as biofuel in different vehicles, and those vehicles release carbon dioxide, which is used by plants again, as chain continues.

Plants and trees use sunlight and carbon dioxide for growing and farmers harvest them. These plants pass through the pre-processing phase and form as cellulose, and that cellulose pass through processing phase in the industries and labs; after that, they converts in sugars, and later sugar adds with microbes, and produce ethanol. The ethanol uses as biofuel in various vehicles and those vehicles emit carbon dioxide, which is used by plants to grow, and this process repeats.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the ethanol production process, from the initial growth of plants to the final combustion in vehicles. However, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear, analytical focus on the key features of the diagram. While the cycle is identified, the explanation of the industrial phase is a bit simplistic. To reach a higher band, you should aim to group the information more logically—perhaps by separating the biological growth phase from the industrial processing phase—and ensure that the transition between steps is described with more precision rather than just listing them sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into two paragraphs, which is appropriate for a short report. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'after that', 'later', and 'which is used by'. However, the flow is somewhat mechanical, and the repetition of phrases like 'those vehicles' and 'which is used by' makes the text feel a bit disjointed. The logical progression is present, but the use of referencing could be more varied to improve the overall readability and flow of the information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the process clearly. You use relevant terms like 'biofuel', 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'harvest'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'form as cellulose' (should be 'converted into cellulose') and 'sugar adds with microbes' (should be 'sugar is mixed with microbes'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise verbs and nouns related to industrial processes to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'the ethanol use as biofuel' (should be 'ethanol is used as a biofuel') and 'as chain continues' (should be 'as the chain continues'). Additionally, some sentences are slightly run-on, which affects the overall grammatical control. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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