Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-30

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 6.0)

The chart shows the cycle of ethanol production and its consumption. The process describes how the sun energy nurtures the plants and trees, and how the chemical processes are used to produce ethanol for fuel purposes.

First stage is to cultivate plants and trees in farms, then the grown plants and trees are harvasted for further processing. Cellulose are produced by doing pre-processing on the crop yeild from the plantation.

Further processing on the cellulose creates sugars. When microbes are added into the produced sugars, they formulate a new substance called Ethanol. Then this ethanol is consumed as a fuel in the various transportation vehicles such as cars, trucks and aeroplanes. These vehicles burn the ethanol and give carbon dioxide as a byproduct which is released back into the atmosphere. The same carbon dioxide can be used by the plants and trees to grow.

Hence, the complete cycle of the carbon dioxide completes as described from the plants and trees to the ethanol and released back to the air from vehicles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all the key stages of the biofuel production cycle, from the initial growth of plants powered by sunlight and carbon dioxide to harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose creation, and processing into sugars. The addition of microbes to form ethanol and its subsequent use in transport vehicles resulting in carbon dioxide emissions are also accurately reported. An overview is present in the introductory and concluding sentences, noting the circular nature of the process. The information is grounded directly in the visual data without significant misinterpretations, satisfying the requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 7.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are grouped reasonably into paragraphs that follow the chronological sequence of the diagram. Cohesive devices such as 'First stage is', 'then', 'Further processing', and 'Hence' are used to guide the reader through the cycle, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical ('Cellulose are produced'). Paragraphing is utilised adequately to separate the introduction, body steps, and conclusion, ensuring the overall arrangement remains coherent and easy to follow, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for a process diagram, including terms such as 'cultivate', 'harvasted', 'pre-processing', 'cellulose', 'sugars', 'microbes', and 'byproduct'. However, there are a few spelling and word-form errors, such as 'sun energy' instead of 'solar energy', 'harvasted' instead of 'harvested', 'crop yeild' instead of 'crop yield', and 'Cellulose are produced' (cellulose is uncountable here). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the range is adequate for the task and communication is not impeded, fitting the Band 6.0 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The process describes how the sun energy nurtures the plants and trees, and how the chemical processes are used...' There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'Cellulose are produced' (cellulose is singular/uncountable) and slight awkwardness in phrasing like 'the complete cycle of the carbon dioxide completes'. Punctuation is generally fine, and these errors rarely impede communication, reflecting the characteristics of Band 6.0.

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