Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18

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 indicates how a biofuel known as ethanol is produced. In this flow chart there are some steps are discribed and the entire process of transforming ethenol is environmental friendly.

Firstly, energy is gathered from sunlight and carbon dioxide which is used to grow trees and plants. after that this plants and trees are harvested by the farmers and transported to factory where they are pre processed. Then cellulose is saprated.then in processing factory this cellulose is carefully divided in to waste product and sugars.

Secondly, there are some microbes added and after that ethanol is made this ethanol is used in to every type of transportation such as plane, trucks and cars. this vehicles produces carbon dioxide in to the environment and this carbon dioxide is also used to produce trees and plants and this entire process is repeated

To conclude, to produce biofuel carbon dioxide and sun light is needed and at the end it is also returned by the vehicles in the end of the process and this whole process is repeated

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to describe all the main stages of the biofuel production cycle shown in the diagram. Key processes such as harvesting, pre-processing, extraction of cellulose and sugars, addition of microbes, production of ethanol, and the release of carbon dioxide are mentioned. However, the report lacks a proper overview paragraph, which is essential for Academic Task 1. Furthermore, there are some inaccuracies in the sequencing and interpretation of the diagram's flow, such as stating that 'cellulose is carefully divided in to waste product and sugars' when the diagram simply shows the progression to sugars. The response addresses the task partially and would benefit from clearer structuring and more precise reporting of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into four paragraphs, which shows an attempt to structure the answer. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor paragraphing and a lack of clear cohesive devices. The second paragraph is extremely long and crams multiple distinct steps together ('Firstly, energy is gathered... Then cellulose is saprated.then in processing factory...'). Furthermore, punctuation and capitalization are erratic throughout the text (e.g., starting sentences with lowercase letters like 'after that this plants', 'then cellulose', and 'this vehicles'). Referencing devices such as 'this' are overused and sometimes unclear. Cohesion is therefore mechanical and faulty, placing this response firmly in the Band 5 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and basic. The student relies heavily on simple vocabulary found directly in the prompt or diagram, such as 'energy', 'sunlight', 'carbon dioxide', 'plants', 'trees', 'harvested', 'factory', and 'ethanol'. There are also frequent spelling and word-choice errors, including 'discribed' instead of described, 'ethenol' instead of ethanol, 'saprated' instead of separated, and 'environmental friendly' instead of environmentally friendly. While communication is not severely impeded because the subject matter is simple, the lack of control over less common vocabulary and persistent spelling mistakes prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There are frequent run-on sentences and comma splices, such as 'Secondly, there are some microbes added and after that ethanol is made this ethanol is used in to every type of transportation...'. Grammatical errors are common, including subject-verb agreement issues ('this plants and trees'), missing articles, and prepositions ('used in to every type'). Capitalization rules are frequently ignored at the beginning of sentences and with proper nouns. While some simple structures are accurate, the high density of basic mechanical errors restricts the score to a 5.0.

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