Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-07

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 7.0)

The diagram illustrates the process of producing ethanol, a type of biofuel.

Overall, the production of ethanol is a cyclical process that begins with the growth of plants and ends with the use of ethanol as a fuel, while carbon dioxide released is returned to the plants for further process.

Looking towards the production of ethanol, initially, plants and trees grow using sunlight and carbon dioxide. They are then harvested and sent for pre-processing. The resulting material converted into cellulose, which is then processed to produce sugars. Finally, microbes are added to the sugars, resulting is process of ethanol.

Now turning to its use, ethanol is used as a fuel for various vehicles such as cars, trucks and aircrafts for transportation purpose. These vehicle releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is then absorbed by the plants during their growth. As a result, this allows this process to continue as a cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers the main stages and the overall cycle accurately. The overview identifies that production is cyclical, and the account follows the sequence from plant growth and harvesting through cellulose, sugars and microbes to ethanol, then explains how vehicle emissions return carbon dioxide to the plants. This gives a clear, relevant summary of the diagram. To make the account more fully developed, describe the conversion stages more precisely: the diagram shows pre-processing producing cellulose and processing producing sugars, whereas “The resulting material converted into cellulose” is vague and does not clearly state the relationship. The final explanation could also specify that ethanol is used by cars, trucks and aeroplanes, rather than generalising to “various vehicles.” Overall, the key features are selected and reported clearly, with some room for greater precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear progression: an introduction, an overview, the production stages, and then the fuel-use and carbon-dioxide cycle. Sequencing expressions such as “initially,” “then,” “Finally,” and “Now turning to its use” help the reader follow the process, and the shift from production to use is easy to understand. The overview also gives the response a useful organising frame. Some linking is slightly formulaic, particularly the repeated stage-by-stage transitions, and “As a result” adds little after the preceding explanation of the cycle. More precise connections between stages would improve flow—for example, explicitly linking pre-processing to cellulose and processing to sugars. Overall, progression is logical and paragraphing is appropriate, though cohesion could be more flexible and less dependent on signposting phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The response uses a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “cyclical process,” “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “absorbed.” These choices communicate the main stages and show some awareness of the technical subject matter. However, a few expressions are imprecise or awkward: “resulting material” is vague, “resulting is process of ethanol” is not a natural way to describe the outcome, and “for transportation purpose” is an unnatural collocation. “Aircrafts” is also less appropriate here than the standard plural “aircraft.” These choices do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim to use concise process collocations such as “is converted into,” “is used as fuel,” and “emissions are absorbed by plants.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

There is a useful mix of simple and complex structures, including the overview clause “while carbon dioxide released is returned to the plants” and the relative clause “which is then absorbed by the plants.” Several sentences are controlled and easy to follow. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “The resulting material converted into cellulose,” the passive verb “is converted” is needed; “resulting is process of ethanol” has a faulty clause structure; and “These vehicle releases” has a plural-subject agreement error. The phrase “plants and trees grow using sunlight and carbon dioxide” would be clearer with a more explicit grammatical link, such as “grow by using.” These errors are generally understandable, but they show that control is not yet consistent. Check passive forms, agreement and sentence construction during revision.

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