Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-27
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 flow diagram illustrates the production and natural recycling process of a popular fuel called ethanol.
Overall, the diagram represents the artificial production of ethanol utilizing botanical sources i.e. plants and trees and ethanol became part of air after consumption. The process specifically depicts the flow cycle of carbon dioxide in natural atmosphere and graph also shows how the carbon dioxide concentration hiked in the atmosphere. Generally, ethanol is a major source of fuel used in the transportation industry.
Carbon dioxide in the presence of sunlight is converted into plant nutrient through a process called photosynthesis. The trees and plants are cut down and harvested by the humans and deliver to factories for further processing. The pre-processing step occurs before main processing yielding cellulose and the cellulose is converted into sugar or carbohydrates.
The primary product (sugar) is introduced to microbes and the microbes fermentation yields ethanol. Ethanol is a major source of biofuel used by transportation vehicles including airplanes, trucks, cars, etc.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main stages of the process, from photosynthesis to the final use of ethanol. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, integrated overview of the cycle. While you mention the 'flow cycle of carbon dioxide', the explanation of the conversion stages is a bit disjointed. To reach a higher band, ensure you clearly highlight the cyclical nature of the process and make more explicit comparisons between the stages, such as contrasting the natural growth phase with the industrial processing phase. The inclusion of 'graph' in the text is confusing as the prompt provides a diagram, not a graph, which suggests a slight misinterpretation of the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical. For example, the transition between the pre-processing and the fermentation stage could be smoother. Some sentences feel like isolated statements rather than a cohesive narrative. While the progression is generally clear, the referencing is occasionally weak, and the connection between the 'natural atmosphere' and the 'industrial processing' could be better signaled to improve the flow of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'photosynthesis', 'cellulose', 'fermentation', and 'botanical'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'hiked in the atmosphere' is not standard academic phrasing for describing concentration levels, and 'deliver to factories' should be 'delivered to factories'. The phrase 'natural recycling process' is a bit vague in this context. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure that your terminology consistently matches the specific steps shown in the diagram.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that, while they do not impede communication, are noticeable. For example, 'utilizing botanical sources i.e. plants and trees and ethanol became part of air' lacks proper punctuation and conjunctions. Additionally, 'the microbes fermentation yields ethanol' should be 'microbial fermentation yields ethanol'. There are also issues with article usage, such as 'in natural atmosphere' instead of 'in the natural atmosphere'. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct article usage would significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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