Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-27

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 shows how the formation of biofuel called ethanol is produced. The production of ethanol takes place in many steps.

First of all, sun provides sunlight and the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere involve in the production and growth of plants and trees. When the plants are fully grown, they undergo to the next process which involves cut down of trees. After this, they are pre-processed into cellulose. By the further process, cellulose is converted into sugars.

In addition to this process of ethanol, sugars are added with micobes. Thus, microbes react with sugar and results into the end product ethanol. Finally, ethanol is used by the different vehicles as a fuel. When vehicles engine burn ethanol, emission of carbon dioxide take place. A lot of carbon dioxide is emitted by the vehicles which again spread into the atmosphere.

Finally, when carbon dioxide spread all over the atmosphere, the process start again from beginning. In this way, it results in the formation of the cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies the main stages of the biofuel production cycle, covering key processes from plant growth and harvesting to pre-processing, conversion into cellulose and sugars, addition of microbes, and final ethanol use which emits carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. The overall cyclical nature of the process is mentioned at the end. However, the response tends to rely heavily on simple step-by-step narration without fully synthesizing or drawing comparisons across the different parts of the diagram. The overview is somewhat weak, as it simply states that the process takes place in many steps rather than highlighting the cyclical conversion of solar energy and carbon dioxide into fuel and emissions. Consequently, it achieves a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement and follows the chronological flow of the diagram logically. Basic cohesive devices and sequence markers are used, such as 'First of all', 'After this', 'In addition', and 'Finally'. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, with a cluster of ideas clumped into a single main body block following a brief introduction. Referencing is occasionally awkward, such as 'In addition to this process of ethanol', which affects the smoothness of transitions. Overall, the organization is clear enough to follow without difficulty, corresponding to a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms from the prompt such as 'biofuel', 'ethanol', 'sunlight', 'carbon dioxide', 'cellulose', 'sugars', and 'microbes'. There are some noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'formation of biofuel ... is produced', 'involve' instead of 'are involved', and 'cut down of trees' instead of 'cutting down trees'. While attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in collocation and word form keep the response firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'When the plants are fully grown, they undergo to the next process...'. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing prepositions ('undergo to' instead of 'undergo'), incorrect verb forms ('results into' instead of 'results in'), and plural/singular agreement issues ('When vehicles engine burn' instead of 'When vehicle engines burn'). Although these errors are noticeable and detract from precision, they rarely impede overall communication, placing the grammar at a Band 5.5.

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