Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-03

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 represents the process of ethanol production i.e. a biofuel from plants and animals

Overall, the ethanol production is a cyclic process that is consist of several stages like plant's harvesting, their industrial processings and their extraction. It also includes their emission gases like carbon dioxide and how they reused within the whole process.

It all starts from the plants and trees that absorbs sunlight and CO2 as a source of energy for their growth. Once get mature, they harvested and undergo pre-processing. After obtaining cellulose from them, they passes a lot of chemical processes for sugar extraction Finally, after adding microbes, ethanol is obtained.

Finally, the ethanol is used as a fuel for vehicles such as cars, trucks and aircraft. The combustion of ethanol releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide is then used by growing plants, together with sunlight, to produce more plant material. The newly grown plants can therefore be harvested and processed again, completing the cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the ethanol production cycle, from plant growth to combustion and recycling. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; the prompt refers to a biofuel process, but you mention 'plants and animals' in the introduction, which is not supported by the diagram. Additionally, the description of the process is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical summary of the key features. While the main steps are identified, the relationship between the stages could be more effectively highlighted to demonstrate a better understanding of the cycle as a whole.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Once', 'After', and 'Finally' to sequence the steps. However, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is a bit abrupt. Some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'their industrial processings', where the pronoun 'their' does not have a clear antecedent. The overall progression is logical, but the use of cohesive devices could be more varied and sophisticated to improve the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'combustion', 'cellulose', and 'extraction'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'is consist of' (should be 'consists of') and 'passes a lot of chemical processes' (should be 'undergoes several chemical processes'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. Improving your control over verb-noun collocations would significantly enhance the quality of your writing.

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 ('plants and trees that absorbs' should be 'absorb') and incorrect verb forms ('they harvested' should be 'they are harvested'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the process, they are frequent enough to indicate a lack of consistent control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and passive voice consistency will help improve your accuracy.

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

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