Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-17

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 illustrated diagram depicts the diverse steps of process of how biofuel, which is called ethnol is made.

Firslty, it the fuel which is made from natural resources like plants and trees, in first step the sun-light and the carbon dioxide both provide energy to the plants and the trees. After the plants grow harvesting process is started while the harvesting is completed, the pre-processing is done to the plants and trees. Once the pre-processing is completed the material is shifted to cellulose.When the cellulose stage is completed, it is transfered to chemicals processing and the chemicals are mixed and they became in the form of different kind of sugars and microbes were added in the sugars. Once all the chemicals are mixed and crossed all the stages of process it became in the form of the ethanol. The ethnanol is ready for use and provided to dissimilar transporations, like aeroplanes, trucks and cars. When all transportation used the ethanol and release carbon dioxide into the the environments.

In comparsion, the process is done by compeleting several steps starts from the pants and trees and end at making of ethanol which is provided to transport for usage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to describe the process of ethanol production, mentioning key stages such as plants growing, harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, processing into sugars, adding microbes, and final use by transport vehicles releasing carbon dioxide. However, the response suffers from significant inaccuracies in addressing the visual data fully and clearly. The description is largely a single, run-on narrative block rather than a well-structured summary. While the overall circular nature of the process is weakly captured at the end, the main features are not clearly demarcated, and important aspects like the role of sunlight and energy are awkwardly integrated. The overview provided in the final paragraph is extremely brief and simplistic. Consequently, this performance aligns closely with Band 5 descriptors, as the task is addressed only partially with under-developed organisation of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text lacks proper paragraphing, consisting of an introductory sentence, one massive block paragraph detailing the entire process, and a very brief concluding sentence. This violates fundamental principles of effective essay structure for Task 1. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, relying on repetitive transitions like 'Once' and 'When' to glue clauses together. For instance, the sentence starting with 'When the cellulose stage is completed...' strings multiple clauses together awkwardly without clear logical progression or punctuation. Referencing is frequently unclear, such as 'it became in the form of the ethanol.' While there is some underlying logical sequence reflecting the diagram, the mechanical cohesion and inadequate paragraphing restrict the score to Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 based on general flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently impeded by spelling and word-choice errors. Examples include 'ethnol' instead of ethanol, 'Firslty' instead of Firstly, 'transporations' instead of transportation, and 'compeleting' instead of completing. The candidate attempts some less common vocabulary related to the process, such as 'pre-processing', 'cellulose', and 'microbes', but these are embedded in ungrammatical collocations (e.g., 'became in the form of different kind of sugars'). Range is limited and adequate only for basic communication. Spelling errors occur frequently enough to cause some difficulty for the reader. These features are characteristic of Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student struggles significantly with sentence structure and grammatical accuracy. There is an over-reliance on simple and concatenated clauses joined by conjunctions like 'and' or time markers, leading to run-on sentences (e.g., 'Once all the chemicals are mixed and crossed all the stages of process it became in the form of the ethanol'). Frequent errors include missing prepositions, incorrect verb forms ('is started', 'became in the form'), subject-verb agreement issues ('microbes were added', 'transportation used'), and punctuation errors. Complex structures are attempted but are consistently faulty. The frequency of errors causes noticeable strain for the reader, placing the grammar firmly in Band 4.5 to 5.0.

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