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 diagram depicts the process of the production biofuel, ethanol and shows how it is extracted from the sources.
The first step starts when the sunlight falls on the trees,and they absorb carbon dioxide from the surroundings.Then the trees and plants which are grown goes into a process of harvestation ,where they are chopped off and the waste are disposed off.The pre-processing step includes the breakdown of larges trees and leaves into smaller portion so that the production of ethanol is made easier.The pieces of trees and plants then produce cellulose which is the basic component of ethanol.
After that, the cellulose goes through processing where it is broken down into sugars structure and then the microbes are added to the sugars which produces ethanol.
As a result , the ethanol is given to the vehicles as biofuel for their working .because of this the carbon dioxide is emitted to the environment and the chain never ends.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all the main stages of the process diagram, from energy absorption and plant growth to harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose extraction, processing into sugars, and finally the addition of microbes to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. The overview feature—that this is a closed-loop cycle involving carbon dioxide release and plant absorption—is correctly captured at the end of the text. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting specific details, such as mentioning that 'waste are disposed off', which is not explicitly stated in the diagram. Overall, the response addresses all parts of the task adequately, placing it firmly in Band 6.5 to 7.0 territory.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout, moving chronologically from the start of the cycle to the end. Cohesive devices such as 'The first step', 'Then', 'After that', and 'As a result' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is rudimentary, with the text lumped into a few dense blocks rather than clearly separated into an introduction, body paragraphs, and an overview. Referencing is generally clear, though minor punctuation and spacing errors affect the flow. This performance aligns well with Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'harvestation' (though non-standard, 'harvesting' is expected), 'cellulose', and 'microbes'. There are several word choice and morphological errors, such as 'production biofuel' (missing preposition), 'larges trees' (grammatical slip), 'smaller portion' (singular/plural mismatch), and 'sugars structure'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but some awkward phrasing detracts from precision. The lexical resource displayed is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, corresponding to Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Then the trees and plants which are grown goes into a process...'. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('trees and plants... goes'), missing articles ('the production biofuel'), incorrect prepositional usage ('given to the vehicles'), and run-on structures ('working .because of this'). Punctuation is also problematic with spacing around commas and periods. While communication is not impeded, the frequency of errors prevents the grammar score from rising above Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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