Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-15
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 5.0)
The diagram demonstrates the process of how biofuel called ethanol is produced from beginning to the end.
Overall, the data describes various stages of production of ethanol, that how it starts from planting and growing trees to gets converted in to biofuel with chemistry solutions and chemicals. However it is a complex process, but we can easily understand it from the given process diagram.
Initially, it begins with planting and growing tree, which is a major part and it all gets starts from here. Moving further, farmers do it's harvesting and then it gets sent for pre-processing where cellulose gets prepared. Then it goes for processing and it makes sugar compound here, Microbes gets added here and as a result, Ethanol gets generate.
Furthermore, the ethanol gets used in different vehicles such as cars, planes and trucks. Those vehicles produces carbon dioxide and gets blend in air and sunlight and the cycle again starts from the beginning.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The candidate has attempted to describe the process diagram showing how ethanol is made. However, the response falls short in terms of fully covering all parts of the visual data. The overview paragraph is overly vague and contains awkward phrasing ('that how it starts from planting and growing trees to gets converted in to biofuel with chemistry solutions and chemicals'). While the main steps are mentioned in sequence—such as harvesting, pre-processing into cellulose, processing into sugars, adding microbes, and generating ethanol—the description lacks precision. Furthermore, the role of carbon dioxide in the cycle is described rather simplistically at the end without fully capturing the cyclical nature shown in the diagram. Overall, the response addresses the prompt minimally, earning a Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into four short paragraphs, representing an attempt at logical organisation. However, the progression of ideas is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and repetitive structures (e.g., 'Then it goes...', 'Moving further...'). Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, such as 'However it is a complex process, but we can easily understand it'. Referencing is also weak in places, as seen in 'farmers do it's harvesting' and 'those vehicles produces carbon dioxide and gets blend in air'. While the essay has a recognisable beginning, middle, and end, the overall cohesion is faulty and mechanical, corresponding to a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, with noticeable errors that occasionally impede communication or sound unnatural. Examples include 'gets converted in to biofuel', 'chemistry solutions', 'tree' (singular used for plural), and 'Ethanol gets generate'. The candidate attempts some less common vocabulary related to the process, such as 'pre-processing', 'cellulose', and 'microbes', but lacks control over word forms and collocations. Spelling and word choice errors (e.g., 'produces... and gets blend') are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic compound structures joined by coordinating conjunctions. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, characterised by persistent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Those vehicles produces', 'Microbes gets added'), passive voice formation (e.g., 'Ethanol gets generate'), and tense consistency. Punctuation is basic. Because the errors are frequent and often distract from the meaning, the grammar fits the descriptor for Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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