Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The diagram illustrates the production process of a bio fuel named ethanol which follows a rigid process starting from collection to supply. Bio fuels are one of the most valuable resources of nature and ethanol is one of them. With their excellent renewable quality they provide us with quality service and a way back to nature.
The process starts the moment a tree starts growing using the sunlight and carbondioxide which in result gives us ancient big trees which we harvest. The collected materials are crushed to bring out their cellulose through a factorial process which are then sent to labs. The chemical processing industries break down the cellulose into sugars along with which various micro organisms are added. Those microscopic creatures turn the sugar into useable ethanol, fantastic renewable energy we collected from nature.
We use ethanol in cars, trucks, planes to keep our lives running along with making our communication smoother. The ethanol we used eventually comes back to us as it turns to carbondioxide and gets absorbed by plants. This process depicets a beautiful circle of nature in regards of renewable sources.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to describe the process diagram for ethanol production, successfully identifying key stages such as plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose breakdown, sugar conversion, and the addition of microbes. However, the response includes a significant amount of personal opinion, general knowledge, and commentary that is not presented in the diagram, such as 'Bio fuels are one of the most valuable resources of nature' and 'fantastic renewable energy we collected from nature.' In Academic Task 1, personal evaluation and outside commentary must be strictly avoided. Furthermore, the cyclical nature of carbon dioxide absorption and release is mentioned at the end, but some process details are glossed over or generalised.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is divided into three paragraphs, providing a basic framework of introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the logical flow is somewhat hindered by the inclusion of extraneous commentary. While cohesive devices are used, such as 'The process starts,' 'The collected materials,' and 'Those microscopic creatures,' referencing is occasionally imprecise. For example, 'through a factorial process which are then sent to labs' contains ambiguous pronoun reference ('which'). Paragraphing could be more strictly organised around distinct stages of the cycle rather than blending process description with editorial remarks.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'microscopic creatures,' 'cellulose,' and 'renewable energy.' However, there are notable spelling errors ('carbondioxide,' 'depicets,' 'useable') and awkward word choices or collocations, such as 'factorial process' instead of 'factory process' or 'industrial process.' These lexical inaccuracies and misspellings slightly detract from the overall quality, though they do not completely impede communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some attempt at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'The process starts the moment a tree starts growing using the sunlight and carbondioxide which in result gives us ancient big trees which we harvest.' However, punctuation is weak, notably missing commas in long, complex sentences, and there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing choices (e.g., 'along with which various micro organisms are added'). The frequency of these minor errors places it firmly in the band 6 category.
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