Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The diagram illustrates the process of producing a biofuel called ethanol.
Overall, the production of ethanol involves several stages, beginning with the growth and harvesting of plants and ending with the production of ethanol. During the process, plant material is processed and fermented before ethanol produced.
In the first, plants and trees grown. After that, they are harvest and pre-processed using a machine. The piece of plants were mixed in cellulose, and goes into the water of chemicals. After the processing of water that's become in the shap of sugers.
Sugars add into the microbes and become ethanol, After complete this process, the ethanol uesed as a fuel in vehicles such as a, car, airplan, trucks, motor bikesand other things which uesed in everday life as a transport. when vehicles run on fuel, they release cabon dioxide into the air, carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere and can contributee to air pollution.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main parts of the task by outlining the overall cycle of ethanol production from plants to fuel combustion. However, some aspects of the process are under-developed or inaccurately described. For instance, the transition from pre-processing to cellulose and the role of water and chemicals are expressed unclearly, such as in the sentence 'The piece of plants were mixed in cellulose, and goes into the water of chemicals.' While an overview is attempted at the beginning, key stages like harvesting, pre-processing, and fermentation lack precise detailing. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to present a fully developed overview and sequence all stages of the process with greater clarity and accuracy.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, body, and conclusion. Basic cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the stages, such as 'Overall,' 'In the first,' and 'After that.' However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in abrupt transitions like 'Sugars add into the microbes and become ethanol, After complete this process...' Paragraphing is also somewhat fragmented, with several very short sentences that disrupt the logical flow and progression. Improving the integration of sentences and using a wider range of cohesive devices without repetition would help elevate the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate to communicate the basic steps of the process, but the range is limited. The response contains several noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling, such as 'sugars' spelled as 'sugers', 'used' as 'uesed', 'airplane' as 'airplan', and 'carbon' as 'cabon'. Furthermore, expressions like 'in the shap of' and 'The piece of plants' show a lack of precision and awkward collocation. To achieve a higher band, the student should expand their lexical range by incorporating less common vocabulary related to industrial processes and ensuring greater accuracy in spelling and word formation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The writing relies mostly on simple sentence structures, and attempts at more complex or passive forms are frequently faulty. There are persistent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'plants and trees grown' instead of 'grow', 'they are harvest' instead of 'harvested', and 'ethanol produced' missing a verb form. Additionally, punctuation errors, such as comma splices ('...become ethanol, After complete this process...'), occur frequently. To improve, the student needs to demonstrate better control over basic grammatical structures, verb morphology, and sentence boundaries to reduce errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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