Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates the process by which a biofuel called ethanol is produced.

Overall, it involves series of stages including pre-processing, processing and transportation. Initially, sunlight and carbon dioxide encourage plant growth, these plants are harvested and go through pre- processing stage to produce cellulose. After cellulose is then processed, chemical, sugars and microbes are added and eventually ethanol is produced.

First, energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide allows plant and tress to blossom, these leaves from the trees are then harvested and go through pre-processing stage when it is grinded into smaller particles by a machine and eventually celluslose is formed.

Subsequently, the cellulose produced then go through the processing stage where chemicals, sugar and microbes are added. Thereafter, a biofuel which is known as ethanol is produced. This biofuel can be used to power vehicles, lorries and aircrafts. Consequently, carbon dioxide is then released to the atmosphere to facilitate plant growth and they cycle continues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key stages of the ethanol production process, from plant growth to the final usage of the biofuel. The overview is clear and identifies the cyclical nature of the process. However, the description of the 'processing' stage is slightly vague; for instance, the text mentions 'chemicals, sugar and microbes are added' without clarifying the specific transformation occurring. While the main features are reported, the response could be improved by providing more precise detail on the conversion of cellulose into ethanol to better reflect the complexity of the diagram. Overall, it satisfies the requirements of the task by providing a logical summary of the provided information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary of the cycle. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'First', 'Subsequently', and 'Thereafter' are used to guide the reader through the stages of the process. However, there are some minor issues with punctuation and sentence structure, such as comma splices (e.g., '...plant growth, these plants are harvested...'). While the paragraphing is appropriate, the flow between sentences could be smoother if these punctuation errors were corrected, as they occasionally disrupt the logical progression of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with relevant terms like 'biofuel', 'cellulose', 'harvested', and 'pre-processing' used correctly. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'grinded' (the past participle of 'grind' is 'ground') and 'tress' (a spelling error for 'trees'). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the process clearly, but it lacks the more sophisticated, precise terminology that would be expected at a higher band level. The repetition of 'produced' and 'stage' also limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('the cycle continues' vs 'they cycle continues') and incorrect verb forms ('grinded' instead of 'ground'). Additionally, there are instances of comma splices where independent clauses are joined incorrectly. These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a lack of full control over complex structures, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band score.

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

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