Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The process illustrates how a bioful called ethonal is produced, showing various stages involved in its preparation process.
Overall, the process consists of ten main stages and its a cyclic process, beginning with absoption of energy by plants and ending with release of carbon dioxide into atmosphere.
At the first stage, sunlight and carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants to grow for culitivation. Next, in harvesting stage the farmer collects all the crop. Following this, the crop is sent to pre-processing unit. After that, cellulose is collected now send the cellulose to the processing unit, which results in processing of sugars.
In the next stage, microbes are addeed to sugars for the production of ethonal whis is referred as a biofuel. Subsequently, ethonal is used in various transportation such as airways, trucks and cars from the vehicles we use in our daily life running with ethanol releases carbondioxide. Finally, the carbon dioxide is released into atmosphere.
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 covers all key stages of the biofuel production diagram, successfully identifying the cyclical nature of the process from plant growth to harvesting, processing, and the eventual release of carbon dioxide. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, which captures the main features of the diagram as required for Task 1. However, some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing occur in reporting specific steps, such as 'cellulose is collected now send the cellulose to the processing unit'. While all parts of the visual prompt are addressed, the development of ideas lacks the polish and precision typical of higher band levels. Overall, the task is adequately fulfilled, warranting a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a logical progression from the introduction of the process through the various stages to the final release of carbon dioxide. Paragraphing is used adequately, separating the introduction, overview, and body steps. Cohesive devices are employed to sequence the steps, such as 'At the first stage', 'Next', 'Following this', and 'In the next stage'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'which results in processing of sugars' and the run-on structure in 'cellulose is collected now send the cellulose'. Paragraphs could also be better balanced. This level of organisation aligns with the Band 6 descriptors.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with domain-specific terms correctly incorporated such as 'biofuel', 'ethanol', 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'carbon dioxide'. However, there are several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'bioful', 'ethonal', 'absoption', 'culitivation', and 'addeed'. Furthermore, phrasing is occasionally unnatural or repetitive. While the student attempts less common vocabulary, the persistent spelling and lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to Band 5.5, as these errors occasionally distract the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like passive voice ('sunlight and carbon dioxide is absorbed') and relative clauses ('vehicles we use in our daily life running with ethanol'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly subject-verb agreement issues ('carbon dioxide is absorbed', 'sunlight and carbon dioxide is absorbed') and punctuation/run-on sentence errors ('ethonal whis is referred as a biofuel. Subsequently, ethonal is used...'). Although these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the writing from achieving a Band 6.5, making Band 6.0 a more accurate reflection of grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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