Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-26

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 illustrates the production of biofuel known as ethanol. It follows a cycle. It consists on about seven steps. It includes cellulose, processing and sugars etc.

Firstly, energy from the sunlight and carbon dioxide are added together which leads to the growth of plants and trees. When the crops grew up, the next stage of harvesting commence, this process is done by machinery with the help of tractor and labour. Then the crops are send to the pre-processing step. A special is used for it. After it the grains from the crops are separated and the waste is removed.

In the next stage, the grains are converted into cellulose. By contrast, cellulose go for further processing. This further processing changes the cellulose into the sugars. In the further processing, the microbes are added into the sugars. Which is further converted into ethanol.

Now, ethanol is used in the airplanes and it gives out the CO2. It’s also used in trucks and cars as a fuel and it excesses out the CO2 in the atmosphere.

In the conclusion, trees and sunlight by means of nature is crucial for every process as it takes CO2 and give out oxygen. So, it’s invaluable for human beings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the process diagram of biofuel production, noting that it is a cycle involving approximately seven steps. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and fails to properly outline the main stages in a logical sequence. For instance, the student states that 'grains are converted into cellulose' and that 'microbes are added into the sugars' during processing, which misrepresents the given data (where cellulose is an intermediate step before processing into sugars, and microbes are added separately). Furthermore, the overview lacks a clear summary of the overall cyclical nature and the main phases. While some features are reported, the misinterpretations and lack of precise reporting place this at a Band 5.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is often disjointed and difficult to follow. The student attempts to use sequencing markers such as 'Firstly', 'In the next stage', and 'In the conclusion', but these cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or inaccurately applied. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the dangling phrase 'Which is further converted into ethanol.' Paragraphing is attempted, but some paragraphs are overly brief or fragmented (e.g., 'It follows a cycle. It consists on about seven steps.'), resulting in a disjointed flow that hinders overall coherence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and repetitious. The student frequently relies on basic vocabulary and simple verbs (e.g., 'added together', 'growth', 'converted', 'used'). There are several noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'It consists on about seven steps', 'the next stage of harvesting commence', 'the crops are send', and 'it excesses out the CO2'. Furthermore, terms from the diagram are sometimes misused or awkwardly adapted. These lexical inadequacies and errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, aligning the response with Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic active constructions. When the student attempts more complex or compound structures, frequent grammatical errors occur, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('When the crops grew up, the next stage of harvesting commence'), incorrect prepositions ('consists on'), and sentence fragments ('Which is further converted into ethanol.'). Punctuation and tense consistency are also problematic throughout the text. These frequent errors restrict the grammatical score to Band 5.0.

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