Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-04

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 given process of biofuel production tells us how ethanol is produced. At a glance vehicles like car, truck, aeroplane etc used ethanol and produced carbondioxide.

First step is that plants and trees grow by using energy ( sunlight + carbondioxide ) from atmosphere then trees and plants are harvested by a farmer by using tractor and send for pre-processing.

After pre-processing it shapes like a beans when it becomes a cellulose its shape like a DNA strands which send to factories for more processing In the processing chemicals added to cellulose. Furthermore when cellulose was processed it becomes a sugar. At the last microbes are added to that sugars then ethanol is made.

Then this ethanol used by vehichles like car, truck, aeroplane, etc and also these vehicles produced carbondioxide which is very essential to plants and trees. Again these plants take carbondioxide from vehicles and sunlight from sun by this they grow and then cycle repeats.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response partially addresses the task by outlining the main stages of the ethanol production cycle, such as plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, processing into sugars, adding microbes, and final fuel usage. However, the development of ideas is limited and under-developed. While the student attempts to summarise the diagram, details are restricted to basic sequential listing without providing a fully rounded overview or clear comparisons of the cyclical nature until the very end. The response covers the key steps presented in the visual prompt, but the lack of extended explanation and a clear structural introduction keeps the task achievement at this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation with a clear attempt to follow the sequence of the diagram chronologically using transition words such as 'First step', 'After', and 'At the last'. However, there is no clear overall progression or paragraphing, as the entire text is lumped into two dense blocks. Cohesive devices are sometimes inaccurate or repetitive, particularly the overuse of additive structures and basic referencing like 'this ethanol used by vehichles' and 'Again these plants take'. To reach a higher standard, the response needs to be organised into logical paragraphs with a distinct overview and a wider, more flexible range of cohesive ties.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to describe the basic process, incorporating terms like 'harvested', 'cellulose', 'sugars', 'microbes', and 'carbondioxide'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and spelling that cause some difficulty, such as 'vehichles' and 'carbondioxide' written as a single unspaced word. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items like 'pre-processing' and 'aeroplane', but overall control lacks precision and flexibility. Spelling mistakes and awkward phrasing prevent the lexical score from advancing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic coordination. Attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty, leading to missing verbs, incorrect prepositions, and grammatical gaps, as seen in 'when it becomes a cellulose its shape like a DNA strands' and 'In the processing chemicals added to cellulose'. Frequent errors in articles, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation are present throughout the text, causing occasional difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student must demonstrate better control over complex clause structures and reduce basic grammatical inaccuracies.

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