Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The process chart illustrats the production of biofuel which is known as ethanol.
Overall, it is clear that this process has 12 steps starting from growing trees and plants and ending with ethanol which is used by various vehicles which produce carbon dioxide.
To begin with, plants and trees are grown which uses sunlight and carbon dioxide. After fully growth, these trees are harvested and send for pre-processing by using transport like tractors. In the next step, these trees and plants are converted in to celluloses which are further send to labotary for processing. In the lab, celluloses are tranformed into sugars by using chemicals. After this, microbes added into sugars which produces Ethanol. Furthermore, this ethanol is used as fuel for different transportions like plane, truck, and car. Carbon dioxide is realsed from these vehicles that is again used by tree and plants and this begin again.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to summarise the process diagram illustrating how ethanol is made, covering the main stages from plant growth to transport and carbon dioxide emission. An overview is provided, noting the cyclical nature and the stages involved. However, the response falls just short of the 150-word minimum requirement at 148 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. Furthermore, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting the steps, such as stating there are 12 steps and mentioning a laboratory and chemicals, which are not explicitly supported by the visual data. To reach a higher band, the writer must ensure all details strictly align with the provided graphic and meet the minimum word count consistently.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a logical overall arrangement with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraph sequence. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the process, such as "To begin with", "In the next step", and "Furthermore". Paragraphing is somewhat basic, with the body of the process condensed into a single block of text rather than being broken down logically into stages (such as production versus consumption). Referencing is generally clear, though paragraphing could be improved to enhance the overall flow and structural clarity of the essay.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific terms such as "production", "biofuel", "harvested", "celluloses", "sugars", and "microbes". There are, however, several lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as "illustrats" (illustrates), "uses sunlight" instead of "use sunlight", "After fully growth" (After fully growing / Once fully grown), and "realsed" (released). Spelling and word formation errors like "labotary" (laboratory) and "transportions" (transportation) also occur. The range is sufficient for communication but lacks the precision required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and passive structures (e.g., "which is known as ethanol", "are harvested and send", "are converted in to celluloses"). However, there are frequent grammatical and spelling errors throughout, such as subject-verb agreement issues ("these trees and plants are grown which uses sunlight"), incorrect prepositions ("converted in to", "send for"), and spelling mistakes like "tranformed". These errors occasionally distract the reader, though they do not completely impede the overall comprehension of the process.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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