Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-19

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 diagram shows how ethanol is produced from plants and trees. It also shows the process of carbon dioxide in the production of ethanol.

Overall, the process has several stages and it is a circular process. First plants are grown and after different stages ethanol is produced. Then ethanol is used by cars, trucks and airplanes and carbon dioxide is produced. This carbon dioxide is used by plants again.

At the first stage, plants and trees grow with sunlight and carbon dioxide. When the plants are ready, they are harvested by using machines. After harvesting, the plants goes to pre-processing. In this stage, the plants are made into cellulose. Then cellulose is sent to processing and it is changed into sugars.

After this, microbes are added to the sugars. This makes ethanol after the processing. The ethanol is then used in different transport like cars, trucks and airplanes. When the vehicles use ethanol, carbon dioxide is produced. Some carbon dioxide also comes from the process. It goes back to the plants and helps them to grow again. Therefore, the process can start again after carbon dioxide is used by the plants.

The diagram shows that ethanol production needs many steps before it can be used as a fuel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main features of the ethanol production cycle. You have clearly outlined the stages from plant growth to fuel usage and the subsequent carbon cycle. The overview is clear and captures the circular nature of the process. However, to reach a higher band, you could improve the integration of the 'carbon dioxide' aspect by more precisely linking the emissions from the 'processing' stage back to the initial growth phase. While all key stages are mentioned, the description of the transformation from cellulose to sugar and then to ethanol could be more detailed to fully highlight the technical progression shown in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. The progression of ideas follows the chronological order of the diagram effectively. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First', 'Then', 'After this', and 'Therefore' to link sentences. While these are functional, the cohesion is somewhat mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and use more sophisticated referencing (e.g., 'this subsequent stage' or 'the resulting substance') to improve the flow between sentences and avoid repetitive sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using subject-specific terms like 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'harvested' correctly. The language is generally clear and appropriate for a process description. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the frequent use of 'plants', 'ethanol', and 'carbon dioxide'. To achieve a higher score, incorporate more varied synonyms or descriptive phrases to avoid redundancy. For example, instead of repeating 'the plants', you could use 'the raw organic material' or 'the biomass'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'the plants goes' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'used in different transport' (should be 'forms of transport'). There is also a slight lack of variety in sentence beginnings. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and attempt to use more complex sentence structures, such as passive voice constructions (e.g., 'The cellulose is then subjected to a chemical process...'), which are highly appropriate for describing industrial or scientific processes.

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