Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-05
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 how a biofuel called wthanol is produced from naturl sources.
Overall, the process of producing ethanol involved several steps, beginning with growing plants and ends with producing ethanol. The process continue after consuming ethanol by different types of vehicles and plans, and then converted into carbon dioxide and later it use .
Firstly, plants and trees grow through sunlight and carbon dioxide and then harvesting after few months. After harvesting tress and plants, there were preprocessing occure in which plants are converted into cellolose.
After converting into cellulose then start processing step in which sugars bonds are created and microbes were added to produce ethanol.
When etahnol is produced then it used in diferent types of cars , lorries and plans. When these types of transportation use ethanol then it produced significant amount of carbon dioxide. Then the carbon dioxide again use as a energy for growth of plants and trees.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of the biofuel production cycle from growing plants to fuel consumption and carbon dioxide recycling. However, the development is uneven. While the progression of the cycle is identified, some details are under-developed or vague, such as the mention that carbon dioxide is 'later it use'. The overview captures the circular nature of the process broadly, but suffers from imprecise summarisation and minor omissions regarding the exact mechanics shown in the diagram. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to present a fully extended and well-supported overview that clearly details all key features of the cyclic process without vague generalisations.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement as it follows the chronological and cyclical flow of the diagram from plants growing to ethanol usage and carbon dioxide absorption. Paragraphing is attempted to separate different phases of the cycle. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, relying on repetitive transitions like 'After converting into cellulose then start' and 'When etahnol is produced then it used'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'and later it use'. To improve, the writer should employ a wider and more natural range of cohesive devices and ensure smoother transitions between the stages of the process.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific terms such as 'harvesting', 'preprocessing', 'cellulose', 'sugars', and 'microbes'. However, there are notable spelling errors and inaccurate word choices throughout the text, including 'wthanol', 'naturl', 'tress', 'occure', 'cellolose', and 'diferent'. These errors reflect an attempt to use less common vocabulary with some inaccuracy, though they do not completely impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer must eliminate spelling mistakes and demonstrate greater precision in word choice and collocations, avoiding repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as 'When these types of transportation use ethanol then it produced significant amount of carbon dioxide.' There are several grammar errors involving verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and articles, for instance 'the process of producing ethanol involved', 'plants and trees grow... and then harvesting', 'there were preprocessing occure', and 'plans' instead of 'planes'. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally communicated without causing severe difficulty for the reader. To progress, the writer needs to improve control over grammatical structures, maintain consistent tense usage in process descriptions, and ensure accurate subject-verb agreement.
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