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)

when plants gets energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide, they will naturally grow and become a tree, which will harvest by humans to made tree trunk and get a wood.

Afterthat, they further process it under some machinery which is used to seprate the cellulose from the woods harvest by the farmer. After this pre process they isolate the cellulose from high processed machinery. After the completion of the initial stage, these all cellulose went to the laboratory for further process to get sugar from the tiny particles of cellulose. After getting cellulose they will add the microbes in the cellulose in the laboratory. The ethanol is produce from the combining process of cellulose and microbes they react with each other and produce it. Then, these all ethanol used in the automobiles industry where the car, heavy vehicle, bus train and ships are run. These heavy mobile industry produce carbon dioxide in the air, which is again used for plants and the cycle continue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to cover the main features of the biofuel production diagram, successfully noting the cyclical nature of the process and mentioning key stages such as energy absorption, plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose extraction, and the addition of microbes to create ethanol. However, the task is only partially addressed because the overview lacks clarity and some details are under-developed or inaccurately described. For example, describing the process as involving 'tiny particles of cellulose' going to a laboratory introduces ideas that are not clearly supported by the diagram. To reach a higher band, the writer should ensure all main stages of the process are presented in a more logical, accurate, and fully developed overview without introducing extraneous or imprecise details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation in the presentation of the process stages, and the response follows a general chronological sequence from plant growth to vehicle emissions and the return of carbon dioxide. However, there is no clear overall progression or paragraphing, as the entire text is written as a single, dense block. Cohesive devices are repetitive and sometimes mechanical, relying heavily on transitional phrases like 'Afterthat' and 'After this pre process' without varying the linking structures or referencing effectively. To improve, the writer needs to divide the text into logical paragraphs and employ a wider, more natural range of cohesive devices to guide the reader smoothly through the stages of the diagram.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, with noticeable errors in word choice, form, and spelling that occasionally impede communication. Words like 'seprate', 'Afterthat', and 'produce' instead of 'produced' demonstrate a lack of precision. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'cellulose' and 'automobiles industry', but struggles with appropriate collocations and word forms, writing 'woods harvest' instead of 'harvested wood' and 'highly processed machinery' rather than 'heavy processing machinery'. To achieve a higher score, the student must expand their lexical range, ensure correct word forms and spelling, and use vocabulary that accurately reflects scientific and technical processes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple and strung-together complex sentences that contain frequent errors. There are frequent issues with verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and articles, such as 'when plants gets energy', 'which will harvest by humans to made tree trunk', and 'The ethanol is produce'. Punctuation is also weak, contributing to run-on sentences. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the text from achieving a more fluid grammatical flow. To progress, the writer needs to exercise better control over basic grammatical structures, maintain consistent verb tenses when describing a process, and reduce the frequency of errors in plurals, prepositions, and voice.

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

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