Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01

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 6.5)

The diagram illustrates the production of a eco-friendly fuel called ethanol.

Overall, the cyclical process starts from extracting energy from plants and trees, and ends with carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere from motor vehicles. The process consist of ten stages. The raw material to produce ethanol is sugar, which gets processed twice.

First of all, plants and trees grow crops using the natural energy such as sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The crops are then harvested and pre-processed through a machine to produce cellulose. This is then further processed to produce sugars.

After extracting sugar, some microbes are added to produce Ethanol. Ethanol is used as a substitute of fossil fuel in cars, commercial trucks, and planes, which burns ethanol and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide is then used by trees to grow crops and the cycles commence again.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all the main stages of the biofuel production cycle shown in the diagram, presenting a clear overview of how ethanol is made and consumed. The student identifies key features such as the growth of plants, processing stages, and the carbon dioxide cycle. However, some aspects are slightly under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies, such as stating that 'the raw material to produce ethanol is sugar, which gets processed twice' when the diagram specifies pre-processing into cellulose followed by processing into sugars. Additionally, the word count requirement of 150 words was not met, as the response is three words short, reaching only 147 words. To reach a higher band, the student should ensure full development of all process steps and strictly adhere to the minimum word limit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. The student introduces the diagram effectively in the opening sentence, provides a coherent overview in the second paragraph, and details the sequential stages in the subsequent paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'First of all', and 'After extracting sugar' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the cyclical process. Paragraphing is logical, separating the introduction/overview from the main body steps. Referencing is generally clear, connecting the stages of ethanol production and its eventual consumption by vehicles. To achieve a higher band, cohesive devices could be employed with even greater flexibility and variety, avoiding slightly formulaic transition markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating process-related terms such as 'cyclical process', 'harvested', 'pre-processed', 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'substitute'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary, alongside minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as writing 'a eco-friendly fuel' instead of 'an eco-friendly fuel', which relates to article usage rather than vocabulary, but note that word-choice errors like 'extracting energy from plants' (rather than growing crops for energy) show some limitation. Spelling is accurate throughout. To move to a higher band, the student should demonstrate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary with more sophisticated collocations specific to describing diagrams and cyclical processes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating adequate control over basic grammatical structures. Examples of complex sentences include 'The crops are then harvested and pre-processed through a machine to produce cellulose.' There are some errors in grammar, most notably the article mistake 'a eco-friendly fuel' and a subject-verb agreement slip in 'The process consist of ten stages'. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and do not impede communication. Punctuation is generally handled well. To reach a higher band, the student needs to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures with greater frequency and eliminate minor grammatical errors entirely.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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