Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The illustratiion presents how a type of biofuel called ethanol is produced from scratch.

Overall, the whole process consist of a few mandatory steps in sequence. Each step is unique and important. It starts from plants and trees to a finished ethanol substance.

At first, with the help of energies like carbon dioxide and sunlight, plants and trees grow and later harvested down. The harvested product are then pre-processed to obtain cellulose. The obtained cellulose will be further processed into sugars. The sugars are added with different kinds of microbes to produce the required ethanol. The ethanol are then used for machinery vehicles for them to operate.The ethanol powered vehicles emits carbon dioxide which is crucial for the growth of plants and trees. This whole process is working inside of a loop.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main stages, from plant growth and harvesting through pre-processing, cellulose, sugars and ethanol, and you also recognise the key cyclical feature: carbon dioxide from vehicle use returns to support plant growth. These points are relevant and broadly match the diagram. However, the overview is general rather than sharply summarising the process, and some details are unclear: “different kinds of microbes” is not specified in the visual, while the diagram shows ethanol being used by a car, truck and aeroplane, not machinery vehicles generally. The response is also 18 words below the required minimum. To develop the report further, describe the transport stage and carbon-dioxide loop precisely and include a clearer overview of the cycle.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows the process in a sensible order, and the opening overview is separated from the stage-by-stage account. Sequencing phrases such as “At first,” “then” and “further” help the reader follow the production stages. The final sentences also connect vehicle use with the return of carbon dioxide to plant growth. However, the report is presented as only two paragraphs, with most details compressed into one long paragraph, so the stages and the cycle are not clearly grouped. Some links are mechanical, and the transition from ethanol production to its use could be clearer. Use a separate paragraph for the production stages and another for transport and the carbon cycle, with precise references to connect them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processed,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes” and “carbon dioxide,” which allows you to describe the main stages. There is also some attempt at more formal wording, such as “illustration” and “mandatory steps.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram: “from scratch” suggests starting without materials, “harvested down” is not the appropriate expression, and “ethanol substance” is awkward. “Different kinds of microbes” adds a distinction not shown. There is also a spelling error in “illustratiion.” Aim for precise process collocations and avoid adding unsupported detail; for example, use “the plants are harvested” and “ethanol is used as fuel.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more developed sentence forms, including the sequence “The harvested product are then pre-processed to obtain cellulose” and the relative clause in “vehicles for them to operate.” The overall meaning remains understandable, but some errors in agreement and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “the whole process consist” should use a singular verb, and “The harvested product are” and “The ethanol are” have subject–verb agreement errors. The sentence “The ethanol powered vehicles emits carbon dioxide” also needs agreement between the plural subject and verb, as well as clearer punctuation around the compound modifier. Check singular and plural subjects carefully, and use consistent tense when describing the stages of a process.

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