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)

The image shows how ethanol is produced from start to end and where it is used.

First of all plants and trees grow while getting carbon dioxide and sunlight. Then these are harvested by machines and move to the pre-processing step. After pre-processing those are converted to Cellulose and then move to the actual processing process, in which those are converted to sugar. Then Microbes added into the sugar and it become a proper biofuel which is called Ethanol.

Ethanol used as fuel for different transport vehicles including cars, trucks and aeroplanes. Ethanol run the different kind of engines and those engines burn it and convert it to the carbon dioxide, which is again move to the air and trees take it from air. This was the actual process of creating ethanol from trees taking carbon dioxide, harvesting, processing and convert to ethanol while mixng processed items as well as where it is used and how it is useful for human life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages, from plants absorbing sunlight and carbon dioxide through harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, processing, sugars and the addition of microbes, and you also mention ethanol’s use in cars, trucks and aeroplanes. The closing explanation recognises the cycle in which carbon dioxide returns to the plants. However, some details are less fully or accurately described: the diagram shows microbes being added before ethanol is produced, but “it become a proper biofuel” is vague about this conversion. It also shows carbon dioxide released by the transport modes, rather than specifically explaining that engines burn ethanol and convert it. A clearer overview identifying the process as a cycle, followed by precise descriptions of the stages and return flow, would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “Then,” and “After pre-processing” help the reader follow the process. You also move from production to transport use and then to the carbon-dioxide cycle. However, the response is arranged as two long paragraphs, with the second sentence in the first paragraph carrying many stages at once. References such as “these,” “those,” and “it” are sometimes unclear, and the final sentence repeats earlier information rather than providing a concise conclusion. Grouping the production stages separately from the fuel-use and recycling stages, and using clearer references, would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “ethanol,” which allows you to communicate the basic sequence. There is some useful topic-specific language, but several expressions are imprecise or repetitive: “actual processing process,” “proper biofuel,” and “different kind of engines” do not describe the diagram precisely. “Mixng” is also misspelled, and “sugar” would be more accurate as “sugars,” matching the diagram. Aim for concise, formal process language and accurate collocations; this will make the description clearer without requiring more complicated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer clauses, for example, “Then these are harvested by machines and move to the pre-processing step.” The sequence remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make relationships unclear. Examples include “it become” instead of “it becomes,” “Ethanol used” instead of “Ethanol is used,” and “which is again move” instead of “which then moves.” There are also agreement and sentence-construction problems in “those engines burn it and convert it,” where the intended subject and process could be expressed more clearly. Practise accurate present-simple passive forms for process descriptions, alongside subject–verb agreement and complete sentence structures.

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