Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-06

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 different stages involved in production of ethanol from biofuel.

Overall,The process begins with plants and trees grow and ends in carbon dioxide.several other stages like pre processing, cellulose , and sugar add also involved.

The process commenced with plants and trees grow and make them enough to produce ethnol.These grown plants and trees harvested by tractor and here pre processing begined with harvested trees cut into small piecies to form next step.In cellulose stage, small pieces of trees went through the process by different pipes to the scale storage where all the gas stored and used for next level.

Before added sugar , stored biofuel did chemical reaction and also added microbes to form ethnol or final product.now final product is made, and this biofuel used in different types of vehicles and also in aeroplane . All machines that had used ethnol as an fuel will produce carbon dioxide that will again help trees and plants to grow more .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a production process and include its broad cycle: plants grow, the material is processed, ethanol is used by transport, and carbon dioxide returns to support plant growth. This gives the reader a relevant overall account. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: “begins with plants and trees grow and ends in carbon dioxide” does not explain that sunlight and carbon dioxide enable growth, or that the cycle returns to the plants. Several details are invented or misread, including trees being cut into small pieces, gas stored in a tank, and sugar being added before microbes. The diagram instead shows cellulose processed into sugars, followed by microbes being added. Report these stages accurately and distinguish the main inputs, conversions, and outputs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the production stages and then the fuel’s use and carbon cycle. This provides some organisation, and phrases such as “Before” and “now” attempt to guide the reader. However, progression is not consistently clear: the overview is compressed into a confusing sentence, and the account jumps from cellulose to storage, then to sugar and microbes without accurately showing their sequence. Linking words are limited and sometimes do not express the relationship intended. For example, “Before added sugar” makes the order difficult to follow. Use one paragraph for the overview and a clearly sequenced account with connectors such as “Next,” “The cellulose is then processed into sugars,” and “Finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre processing,” “cellulose,” “chemical reaction,” and “carbon dioxide,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the process hard to understand. “Stored biofuel” does not describe the diagram’s sugars, while “all the gas stored” and “small pieces of trees” introduce unsupported details. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “ethnol,” “begined,” and “piecies,” and repeated use of “plants and trees” and “process.” Aim for precise stage names from the diagram and use accurate verbs such as “convert,” “release,” and “return” to describe the transformations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a final sentence that links fuel use with carbon dioxide returning to plant growth. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction, verb forms, agreement, articles, and punctuation frequently make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “plants and trees grow” after “begins with,” “These grown plants and trees harvested,” and “Before added sugar.” The overview also runs together after “Overall,” with missing sentence boundaries and capitalisation. Practise forming complete clauses with a consistent tense, for example, “The process begins when plants and trees grow” and “The harvested material is pre-processed.” Check articles and punctuation, and separate each stage into a clear sentence.

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