Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-28
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 5.5)
The diagram illustrates the production of ethanol through an industrial process.
Overall, this process shows the carbon dioxide cycle in the ecosystem and artificial production of ethanol. This biofuel is produced by pre-processing plants into cellulose, further further processing into sugar and ethanol produced exposing to microbes.
The plants and trees grows as carbon dioxide in the air in the presence of sunlight (photosynthesis), farmers harvest and proceed to further processing extracting cellulose, and main processing steps converts cellulose to sugar. The ethanol is produced by microbes through the process of fermentation. Transportation modes including airplane, trucks and other vehicles utilizes this fuel and produced carbon dioxide which again become part of the atmosphere.
The process is not limited to biofuel production; moreover, this diagram describes the cycle of carbon dioxide. Utilizing of fuel in large quantity produces high level of CO2 in air leading to global warming therefore plants are important to reverse it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 ethanol production process, from plant growth to fuel consumption. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the stages, the connection between the steps could be more precise. For example, the transition from 'cellulose' to 'sugar' is mentioned, but the specific role of the 'pre-processing' and 'main processing' stages is not fully detailed. Additionally, the final paragraph shifts focus toward a general discussion of global warming and the carbon cycle, which is slightly tangential to the task of describing the provided diagram. To improve, ensure that every sentence directly relates to the information presented in the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, a body paragraph describing the process, and a concluding observation. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'moreover', and 'therefore' are used to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the second paragraph lists steps in a somewhat repetitive manner ('The plants and trees grows... farmers harvest... main processing steps converts...'). The use of referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the technical description of the process and the broader environmental commentary in the final paragraph feels slightly abrupt.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'photosynthesis', 'fermentation', and 'cellulose'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'Utilizing of fuel' should be 'The utilization of fuel' or 'Using fuel'. The phrase 'further further processing' contains a repetition error. Additionally, 'produced exposing to microbes' is grammatically awkward and lacks the necessary precision to describe the chemical process clearly. Expanding your range of academic collocations would help elevate your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The plants and trees grows' should be 'grow') and incorrect verb forms ('produced exposing to microbes' should be 'is produced by exposure to microbes'). Furthermore, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'in large quantity' (should be 'in large quantities') and 'in air' (should be 'in the air'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.