Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-24
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 process diagram illustrates the production of a biofuel called ethanol.
Overall, it is readily apparent that, the process consists of five distinct stages, commencing with harvesting and culminating in ethanol. It is a cyclical process in which ethanol is used by vehicles then it emits carbon dioxide which is consumed by plants and trees and finally those are harvested to produce ethanol.
At the initial stage, plants and trees are grown by sunlight and carbon dioxide which is harvested and after that it is pre-processed to make cellulose. Following this, cellulose go through a process to transformed into sugars and then microbes added to this.
Finally, Ethanol is produced and ready to used by vehicles. Furthermore, Vehicles emits carbon dioxide in the air and trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and also use sunlight to grow.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the description of the process. While the main stages are identified, the explanation is somewhat superficial. The overview is clear, but the body paragraphs lack the necessary detail to fully explain the transformation stages shown in the diagram. Because the response is under-length, it cannot be awarded a score higher than 5.0 for Task Achievement, as it does not sufficiently cover all parts of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'following this', 'furthermore', and 'finally' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical, and the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced due to the brevity of the text. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between the technical stages of the process could be smoother to better guide the reader through the cyclical nature of the diagram.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'harvesting', 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'cyclical'. However, the range is limited, and there are some awkward phrasings such as 'ready to used' instead of 'ready to be used'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations. To improve, the student should aim for more precise terminology related to industrial processes and ensure better control over word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that hinder the quality of the writing, such as 'cellulose go through a process to transformed' (should be 'goes through a process to be transformed') and 'Vehicles emits' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of these errors, combined with the limited range of complex structures, keeps the score in the mid-range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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