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 gives the stepby step information about how ethanol (biofuel) is obtained by follwing certain procedure.
Overall, ethanol is produced mainly from harvesting the required plants and trees they utilize sunlight and carbon-di-oxide. Further processing techniques which play a vital role in transport sector mainly for automobiles. The carbon-di-oxide released from different vehicles again will be absorbed by plants which can be again used to harvesing.
First plants and trees will be grown according to the requirement, then it is cultivated to get desired seeds later these grains undergo pre-processing forming the cellulose later under the laboratory condtions processing is done and the sugar obtained, at this stage microbes are added to get an ethanol.
At this point, ethanol is ready to utilize in different significantlly as in fuel.
Carbon-di-oxide considered as waste emmitted by vehicles is taken by plants and the same procedure will be repeated to obtain Ethanol successfully.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student attempts to describe the circular process of biofuel production and carbon dioxide recycling, covering the main stages from plant growth and harvesting to processing, microbe addition, and ethanol usage. However, the overview lacks clarity and precision in summarizing the overall cyclical nature of the process. Certain stages are described with imprecise phrasing, such as 'later under the laboratory condtions processing is done', which is not fully supported by the diagram. While the response covers all parts of the task broadly, the development of ideas is limited and somewhat disjointed, placing it firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic overall arrangement, starting with an introduction, proceeding through the steps of the process, and ending with a brief concluding summary about carbon dioxide recycling. However, paragraphing is weak and overly fragmented, with single-sentence paragraphs like 'At this point, ethanol is ready to utilize...' breaking the flow. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate ('stepby step', 'follwing', 'later... later... then'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, making the progression between steps feel mechanical rather than naturally linked. This aligns with a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items related to the prompt such as 'harvesting', 'pre-processing', 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'emmitted'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('stepby step', 'follwing', 'carbon-di-oxide', 'condtions', 'emmitted') and word-form inaccuracies (e.g., 'ready to utilize in different significantlly as in fuel'). The range is sufficient to communicate the basic meaning of the diagram, but frequent lexical and spelling slips restrict the score to Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but these are frequently marred by poor punctuation and grammatical errors. Run-on sentences and comma splices are common, such as in the second paragraph where multiple clauses are strung together without proper subordination or punctuation ('Overall, ethanol is produced mainly from harvesting the required plants and trees they utilize sunlight and carbon-di-oxide. Further processing techniques which play a vital role...'). While meaning can generally be deciphered, the frequency of structural errors and lack of control over complex sentences keeps this at a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.