Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The given diagram illustrates the process involved the production of a biofuel, ethanol.

Overall, the production consists of a few steps. It starts from the plants being harvested which undergo some processing and treatments, and as a result ethanol is obtained.

The process begins with harvesting of mature plants and trees either manually or by a harvester. The harvested plants are cut into smaller pieces and then sent for pre-processing where their cellulose is extracted with the help of different pieces of equipments and machines. Later, the extracted cellulose undergoes further processing in the factory where several steps take place. Ultimately, it is converted into sugar. Finally, the sugar is treated with microbes which produce ethanol.

The produced ethanol can be used as fuel for different vehicles including cars, trucks and airplanes. The burning of this fuel in vehicles’ engines can release an excessive amount of carbon dioxide. Together with sunlight and carbon dioxide the plants get their energy for growth. These plants can be used again for the production of ethanol.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and stages of the biofuel production diagram. The overview effectively captures that the process is a cyclical sequence converting plants into ethanol. The main stages, from harvesting and pre-processing to cellulose extraction, factory processing, sugar conversion, and the addition of microbes, are accurately outlined. Additionally, the response captures the end use in vehicles and the cyclical return of carbon dioxide to plants and trees. The content is well-grounded in the visual data with no significant misinterpretations, earning a solid Band 7.0 for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised and easy to follow, with a clear progression from the introduction through the main processing steps to the final usage and carbon cycle. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the main body stages, and the concluding cycle. Cohesive devices such as 'The process begins with', 'Later', 'Ultimately', and 'Finally' are employed effectively to guide the reader through the sequence. Although referencing and cohesion are generally clear, the transition between sentences could occasionally be smoother to reach higher band levels, placing this securely at Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to a process description, using terms such as 'mature plants', 'cellulose', 'extracted', and 'microbes'. There are some successful attempts at less common lexical items, such as 'manually' and 'excessive amount'. However, there is a minor grammatical slip in the opening sentence ('process involved the production') missing a preposition, and 'equipments' is incorrectly pluralised. Despite these occasional word-choice and spelling imperfections, the vocabulary effectively communicates the intended meaning, matching the criteria for Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'harvested plants are cut into smaller pieces and then sent...'). There are frequent error-free sentences demonstrating good control over basic and intermediate structures. However, minor grammatical inaccuracies occur, such as the missing preposition in 'process involved the production' and the countable/uncountable error with 'equipments'. Punctuation is generally sound, and meaning is never obscured by errors, fully justifying a Band 6.5 score.

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