Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the process through which a biofuel, typically know as ethanol, is produced.

Overall, ethanol production is a cyclic process, including various natural phenomenons, remain continue in the atmosphere. The process initiates from carbon dioxide production, ends with biofuel production and the cycle repeats.

Starting with Carbon dioxide produced as a result of air pollution caused by transportation. It goes back to the atmosphere where it combines with sunlight. This energy is used for photosynthesis by plants and trees to support their growth. Once grown, the pants are harvested and pre-processed before actual processing, by various specialised machines to get into particles. The end product of pre processing is cellulose.

Moving towards the remaining steps, the cellulose is then processed again to get tiny sugar molecules, building blocks of cellulose. Moreover, several microbes are added in these sugar molecules to produce ethanol to be use as biofuel. Local and international transportation services, including cars, buses and aeroplanes, use this ethanol as a fuel. Therefore, this fuel in returned back to the atmosphere by the emission of gases from vehicles and the process repeats itself.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages and provide an overview that recognises the process as cyclical, with transport emissions returning carbon dioxide to support plant growth. The sequence from harvesting through pre-processing, cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol is mostly represented. This meets the task well, although some details are less accurate or fully developed: the diagram shows sunlight and carbon dioxide as inputs to plant growth, rather than carbon dioxide first being produced by air pollution, and it does not specify “specialised machines” or “tiny” sugar molecules. The transport examples also differ: the diagram shows a car, truck and aeroplane, not buses. To strengthen the response, describe the diagram’s inputs and outputs precisely and avoid adding unsupported explanations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs tracing the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Starting with” and “Moving towards the remaining steps” help the reader follow the process, and the final sentence returns to the cycle. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “Moreover” and “Therefore,” and the overview’s phrase “remain continue in the atmosphere” makes the relationship between stages unclear. The opening of the third paragraph is also a sentence fragment (“Starting with Carbon dioxide produced…”). For a stronger progression, use direct stage-to-stage links and make the overview state clearly that carbon dioxide from fuel use is absorbed by growing plants.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processed,” “cellulose,” “molecules,” and “emission,” which is appropriate to the topic. Some less common choices are attempted, but several are inaccurate or unnatural: “typically know as” for “typically known as,” “natural phenomenons,” “get into particles,” and “fuel in returned back.” “Local and international transportation services” is also an imprecise way to describe the vehicles shown. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the general process, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Prefer standard process collocations such as “is converted into,” “is broken down into,” and “is released,” and use the exact vehicle terms shown in the diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence structure, including passive forms such as “are added” and “are harvested,” as well as a relative clause in “which…”. The main sequence is generally understandable, but grammatical errors remain in several places. “Starting with Carbon dioxide produced…” is a fragment, while “the process initiates from… ends with…” has an incomplete parallel construction. Other examples include “to be use” instead of “to be used,” “the pants are harvested” (the intended noun is clear from context, but the sentence also needs careful proofreading), and “this fuel in returned.” Agreement and form are also problematic in “natural phenomenons, remain continue.” Aim to make each sentence complete and check verb forms, agreement, and parallel structures before submission.

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