Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04
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 map illustrates that by what means process of biofuel referred to as ethanol is formed.
Overall, there are eight processing steps that is significant for biofuel production. Energy that comes from sunlight and carbon dioxide plays a crucial role for making ethanol that produced biofuel for automobiles.
In the beginning, Energy by sunlight and carbon dioxide helps to grow plants and trees. When they grow up harvesting process is started which is a physical activity done by a person with the help of tractor. In pre processing process they crushed vegetation into small pieces and becomes cellulose.
In the sixth step, processing procedure is begin where formation of sugars happened. Moreover, after the sugars preparing microbes added which finally converted to ethanol which is a production of biofuel. In the last step, biofuel that called ethanol is used for different vehicles such as cars, trucks, and aero planes. In contrast, when they travelled these items produced carbon dioxide that again going to energy process and cycle continues at the same again and again.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| 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 the final usage in vehicles. However, the description is somewhat superficial. For instance, the transition from 'cellulose' to 'sugars' is described as 'processing procedure is begin', which lacks technical detail. While the overview identifies the number of steps, it does not clearly highlight the cyclical nature of the process as a key feature until the very end. The summary is functional but lacks the precision required for a higher band, as some steps are grouped too loosely, missing the opportunity to compare the chemical and physical transformations effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'In the beginning' and 'In the sixth step' are used, but the transitions between sentences are sometimes abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'when they travelled these items produced carbon dioxide', where the pronoun 'they' is ambiguous. While there is an attempt at logical progression, the flow is hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect the stages of the process smoothly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher levels. There is significant repetition of basic terms like 'process', 'production', and 'ethanol'. Some word choices are unnatural or incorrect, such as 'formation of sugars happened' or 'biofuel that called ethanol'. The student struggles with collocations, for example, 'harvesting process is started' instead of 'the harvesting process begins'. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise verbs and technical terminology related to industrial processes, such as 'fermentation' or 'conversion'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('eight processing steps that is significant'), missing articles ('harvesting process is started'), and awkward sentence construction ('by what means process of biofuel... is formed'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the misuse of prepositions and verb tenses (e.g., 'sugars preparing microbes added') makes the text difficult to read in places. The student needs to focus on basic sentence structure and ensuring that verbs agree with their subjects.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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