Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19

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 illustration gives information about the complete process of preparation biofuel which is known as ethanol . Overall , at the starting point of process plants need caron dioxide from air and at the ending point carbon dioxide released by the vehicles .

It is quite evident from the diagram that new growing plants or trees gain energy in the form of sunlight from sun and carbon dioxide from the air . After the complete growth of plants , harvesting machines cut them . Later harvested plants and trees passes the pre-processing , where cellulose seprates and than these carriedout to tha labortary .

Further more, during the labortary process cellulose converted to sugars . After that , microbes added to the sugar particles from which in the result ,ethanol is produced . However , this will use for low traffic vehicles and high traffic vehicles and aslo for the airoplans  as a fuel . These traffic vehicles release carbon dioxie after the useage of ethanol . Lastly , this released carbon dioxide mixed with air from which plants gain it .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully covers all the main stages of the biofuel production cycle shown in the diagram, beginning with plants and sunlight, moving through harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose extraction, laboratory processing into sugars, microbial addition, ethanol production, and finally fuel usage and carbon dioxide release back into the atmosphere. An adequate overview is provided in the second sentence, capturing the cyclic nature involving carbon dioxide. However, some details are slightly inaccurate or oversimplified, such as stating that cellulose is separated during pre-processing and then carried to a laboratory, which is a literal reading of the icons rather than a fully cohesive summary. Overall, the response addresses the prompt's requirements adequately, but lacks the sophisticated selection and extension characteristic of higher bands.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is divided into three paragraphs, providing a basic overall structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Progression is generally logical, following the circular sequence of the diagram step-by-step. However, cohesive devices are sometimes awkward or mechanically applied, such as 'Further more', 'After that', and 'However'. Referencing and linking between sentences occasionally falter, as seen with 'this will use for low traffic vehicles...' where the pronoun reference is unclear. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas could be refined to better separate the production phase from the consumption and carbon cycle phase.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts to incorporate less common items relevant to the diagram, such as 'harvesting', 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'carbon dioxide'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('caron', 'seprates', 'than' instead of 'then', 'labortary', 'aslo', 'airoplans', 'dioxie', 'useage') and awkward word choices or collocations ('preparation biofuel', 'new growing plants'). These errors demonstrate a limited control over spelling and word formation, restricting the lexical score to the Band 5.5 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is low. There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions, such as 'at the starting point of process plants need caron dioxide', 'harvested plants and trees passes', and 'cellulose converted to sugars' (missing auxiliary/copular verbs). Punctuation errors are also present, including unnecessary spaces before commas ('Overall , at the starting point...'). While the meaning is mostly decipherable despite these slips, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the response from reaching a Band 6.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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