Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-29

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 how a biofuel called ethanol is created and how it works.

At first, energy, sunlight and carbon dioxide are big source of production of plants because plants and trees grow with sunlight and carbon dioxide. Then people harvest these plants and tree and these trees became very helpful for them in lot of works. After it they pre-processing the plants and trees and make cellulose from it.

After creating cellulose by pre-processing, they starting work as a complete processing and able to create sugar from it. Then sugar added to microbes and then to ethanol and ethanol became a big source of carbon dioxide which creating with the help of cars, trucks, and also through air planes.

So, plants are very helpful and very important for us to survive in life because these are big source of creating various things that we use in our daily life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the diagram illustrating the production of ethanol, noting major stages such as harvesting, pre-processing into cellulose, processing into sugars, adding microbes, and final use in vehicles resulting in carbon dioxide emissions. However, the overview is weak, and the description drifts into personal commentary rather than maintaining an objective summary of visual data, particularly in the concluding sentence ('So, plants are very helpful and very important for us to survive in life...'). Furthermore, some relationships between stages are described with imprecise technical phrasing. Consequently, the response addresses the task only partially, fulfilling the criteria for Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text exhibits some organisation by following the chronological flow of the diagram from left to right, using transitional markers such as 'At first', 'Then', and 'After it'. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, with almost the entire text lumped into a single block alongside a very brief concluding paragraph. Cohesive devices are frequently repetitive and mechanical, such as the repeated overuse of 'and then' and 'after it'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'they starting work as a complete processing'. Overall progression is constrained by repetitive structures, placing this response firmly at Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic, repetitive, and restricted to everyday terms rather than precise scientific or process-oriented vocabulary appropriate for an academic task 1 (e.g., 'big source', 'lot of works', 'making various things'). There are notable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'they pre-processing the plants' (incorrect verb form) and 'carbon dioxide which creating with the help of cars'. While the meaning remains mostly discernible, the lexical range is limited and minimally adequate, corresponding to Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences joined by coordinating conjunctions. Attempts at complex or dependent clauses often result in severe grammatical errors, such as 'carbon dioxide which creating with the help of cars' (missing auxiliary/passive voice) and tense confusion ('trees became very helpful', 'they starting work'). Punctuation is basic, and frequent grammatical errors cause noticeable strain and difficulty for the reader, matching the descriptors for Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0.

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