Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-02
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 5.0)
The diagram shows the complete production of how ethanol is made.
Overall, The process involves several steps, and begin with energy source to ethanol. and it is an automatic circular process.
Initially, Plants and trees absorbs energy with includes sunlight,carbon dioxide, once trees mature, the worker harvesting the crop by machine. then discard into pre-processing machine, it cut into small piceses. after that into cellulose follwed by lab testing , and qualtiy if good then it process to next step. here unwanted things get removed .
Afterwards, processing to sugars then the chemical added to sugars called microbes, then the Ethanol is processed, now ethanol transopted to fuel station and vehicles use it and realeses the carbon dioxide, again the carbon dioxide is mixed with air , then plants absorbs it. so this is the complete circular recycle process.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the task only partially and falls short of the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, standing at 139 words. While the writer attempts to summarize the overall process of how ethanol is made from plants, the coverage is somewhat restricted. The description outlines the main stages, such as harvesting, pre-processing into cellulose, processing into sugars with microbes added, and the final production of ethanol, but some parts are underdeveloped or rely on minor, irrelevant details such as 'lab testing' and 'unwanted things get removed' which are not clearly supported by the diagram. An overview is attempted, noting that it is a circular process, but the lack of sufficient extension and the failure to meet the word count limit keep the response at this band level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response shows some organization with a basic overall arrangement, attempting to follow the chronological flow of the diagram from plant growth to fuel usage and carbon dioxide absorption. However, there is no clear overall progression due to fragmented sentences and an inadequate use of cohesive devices. Paragraphing is attempted by breaking the text into short blocks, but the transitions between sentences feel mechanical and disjointed, as seen in phrases like 'after that into cellulose follwed by lab testing , and qualtiy if good then it process to next step'. Pronoun referencing and linking words are occasionally inaccurate or overused, making the logical relationship between stages somewhat difficult to follow consistently.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to name key elements such as 'harvesting', 'pre-processing', 'cellulose', 'sugars', 'microbes', and 'ethanol'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors in word choice, word form, and spelling that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, such as 'absorbs' instead of 'absorb', 'piceses' instead of 'pieces', 'follwed' instead of 'followed', 'qualtiy' instead of 'quality', and 'transopted' instead of 'transported'. The range is restricted, and attempts to use less common terminology are hampered by frequent spelling and morphological inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple sentences and basic clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions or commas. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, characterized by run-on sentences and missing subjects or verbs, such as 'The process involves several steps, and begin with energy source to ethanol. and it is an automatic circular process.' There are frequent errors in verb forms, tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and articles throughout the text—for example, 'Plants and trees absorbs', 'worker harvesting', and 'realeses the carbon dioxide'. These persistent errors cause frequent strain and difficulty for the reader.
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