Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-09

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)

These diagram illustrates the procedure of production of a biofuel called ethanol.

Overall, there are several steps to make biofuel. It started from harvesting trees and plants. and make ethanol and This biofuel is used by vehicles which produce carbon dioxide which also consume by trees and plants.

Firstly, this all started from getting sunlught and carbon dioxide which is the main energy of trees and plants.Second procedure is harvesting trees and plants. Those plants and trees through a machine for pre processing which make cellulose. Cellulose goes through a processing which is making sugars in a different form. Those sugars are added by microbes which help everything in a chemical formation and being ethanol.

Now, ethanol is one of the most important fuels for every necessary vehicle such as car truck and most importantly for plane. This fuel is completely natural which comes after 6 procedure. Those vehicles burn that fuel to run engines to move and there will be a carbon dioxide emission and that carbon dioxide will be consumed by trees and plants and it will be a loop procedure.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers the main stages, from plant growth and harvesting through pre-processing, cellulose, processing, sugars, microbes and ethanol, and it recognises the cycle linking transport emissions back to plant growth. This gives a relevant account of the process. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the overview says the process starts with harvesting, although sunlight and carbon dioxide support plant growth first, and “trees and plants through a machine” does not clearly explain pre-processing. The description also says the fuel is used by vehicles but could more precisely report that ethanol is shown supplying a car, truck and aeroplane. Clarify the sequence and explain the carbon cycle more directly to make the key features more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the stages and use of ethanol. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” and “Now” help signal movement through the process. However, progression is sometimes disrupted by unclear or awkward links, particularly in the overview: “It started from harvesting trees and plants. and make ethanol and This biofuel…” The transition from the production stages to transport is understandable but abrupt, and “Those plants and trees” does not clearly refer to the material being processed. Use complete, logically connected sentences and consistent stage markers, and make references explicit—for example, distinguish the harvested plant material from the resulting cellulose and sugars.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “pre processing,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes” and “carbon dioxide,” which allows the reader to follow the general subject. There is also some useful variation in describing the cycle, such as “emission” and “loop procedure.” However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “main energy of trees and plants,” “added by microbes,” and “chemical formation.” “Procedure” is also repeated where “process” or “stage” would sound more natural. Spelling errors such as “sunlught” and inconsistent forms such as “pre processing” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process collocations, such as “sunlight provides energy,” “microbes are added,” and “the sugars are converted into ethanol.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentence forms, including the relative clause in “which is the main energy of trees and plants” and the conditional-style sequence describing what happens after vehicles burn the fuel. However, errors in agreement, sentence boundaries and clause construction are frequent enough to make some parts difficult to follow. For example, “These diagram illustrates” has a mismatch between subject and verb, while “It started from harvesting trees and plants. and make ethanol” is not a complete, correctly connected sentence. Missing spaces after full stops and inconsistent punctuation also affect readability. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and build each stage into a complete sentence; then connect related steps with clear clauses rather than fragments.

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