Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-08

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 ethanol biofuel is produced from plant material and used as a transport fuel. Overall, plants absorb sunlight and cabon dioxide as they grow, and the harvested material is processed into ethanol. When the fuel is burned in vehicles and planets, carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere cycle.

Firstly, plants and trees grew with energy, where takes from sunlight and carbon dioxide from enviorment. And harvested by farmer using speical car, which remained crops were maturity. By the following, crops treated in pro-processed by machine, turned into rise. It was contained on net-like chemical structure named cellulose. After labotory processed, cellulose was hydrosis into sugars and it was well-known. In the end, microbes were added with sugars, by the metabolism of microbes, ethanol was made.

More over, ethanol were used in cars, trucks, and flights. The engines from these transportation tools used fuel, and turn them into carbon dioxide polluted in the amtmosphere environment. Biofuel had a representetive boundary with human being life and whole society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages of the process and give a clear overall summary: plant growth, conversion of plant material into ethanol, and carbon dioxide returning after fuel use. The references to harvesting, cellulose, sugars, microbes, and the three transport modes are grounded in the diagram. However, some stages are unclear or inaccurately described. For example, the diagram shows pre-processing producing cellulose, then processing producing sugars; “turned into rise” and the description of cellulose as a “net-like chemical structure” do not clearly report these steps. The overview also says plants absorb carbon dioxide, but the cycle’s return from vehicles could be explained more precisely. Develop the sequence accurately and avoid adding unclear details to make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by the production stages and then the fuel’s use and emissions. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “After,” and “In the end” help the reader follow the process. However, some links are mechanical or awkward, and several references make the progression difficult to track. For instance, “By the following” does not clearly connect harvesting to pre-processing, while “which remained crops were maturity” obscures what happens at harvesting. The final sentence about biofuel’s “boundary” with human life also interrupts the process description rather than concluding it. Use clearer stage-to-stage links and keep each paragraph focused on the diagram’s sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes,” and “carbon dioxide,” which helps identify the subject. There are also attempts to use more specific terms, but inaccurate word choice and spelling often make the meaning unclear. Examples include “rise” for the material produced during processing, “hydrosis” for the conversion into sugars, and “planets” where you mean vehicles or transport. Misspellings such as “cabon,” “enviorment,” and “amtmosphere” further reduce precision. Choose established process terms and check spelling carefully; where you are unsure of a technical term, describe the stage simply and accurately rather than guessing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which remained crops were maturity” and a sequence of linked process clauses. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, sentence construction, and articles sometimes make relationships between stages hard to understand. For example, “plants and trees grew with energy, where takes from sunlight” has an unclear clause structure, and “ethanol were used” does not agree in number. “The engines … used fuel, and turn them into carbon dioxide” also shifts tense and leaves the subject of “turn” unclear. Use consistent present simple for a process diagram, check subject–verb agreement, and build each stage as a complete sentence with a clear subject and verb.

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