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 visuographic illustrates the process to produce biofuel called ethanol through various stages by using various type of processes.

Overall, it can be seen that there are multiple processes interconnected to produce ethanol. Beginning from harvesting the plants and it passes through different processes and finished by adding microbes into ethanol.

Firstly, the plants and trees grow with the help of the sun light energy and carbon dioxide. Thereafter, it goes through harvesting process. After that, it goes through pre-processing where harvested plants transformed into the tiny pieces. Then it converted into small cellulose this and then this cellulose passes through lab process to make sugars. Afterwards, mixture of sugars and microbes added to produced ethanol. After this, it used in different type of transportations, such as cars, trucks and air crafts and when it used ethanol it release carbon dioxide into atmosphere to grow tress and plants for repeating this process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all the main stages of the biofuel production diagram, successfully outlining the cyclical nature of ethanol creation and carbon dioxide release. The response reports the key stages such as growing plants, harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose extraction, sugar conversion, and the addition of microbes. An overview is present, highlighting the interconnected and cyclical processes. However, some descriptions lack precision, such as stating that plants are transformed into 'tiny pieces' and then 'small cellulose this', which slightly misrepresents the sequence and specific labels of the chart. Despite minor inaccuracies in detailing intermediate steps, the essential features of the process and its cyclical nature are successfully reported.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently, with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph detailing the process steps. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Thereafter', 'After that', and 'Afterwards' are used to sequence the stages chronologically. However, some referencing is slightly clunky, for example, 'when it used ethanol it release carbon dioxide', which disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate the introduction/overview from the detailed process description, providing a logical overall structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to the task, including words such as 'interconnected', 'harvesting', 'pre-processing', 'microbes', and 'atmosphere'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and lexical errors throughout the text, such as 'The visuographic' instead of 'The diagram', 'sun light energy' (spacing error), and awkward phrasing like 'small cellulose this'. These errors reflect a limited control of less common lexical items, although communication of the main process steps is generally maintained.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Overall, it can be seen that there are multiple processes interconnected to produce ethanol.' There are, however, frequent grammatical errors, particularly with missing or incorrect articles, prepositions, and verb forms (e.g., 'process to produce biofuel called ethanol', 'transformed into the tiny pieces', 'sugars and microbes added to produced ethanol', and 'when it used ethanol it release'). These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and demonstrate weak control over complex syntax.

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