Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

This diagram outline the various stage involved in biofuel production, begining with the energy and ending with a carbon dioxide.

Overall, the production of biofuel start with the energy and ends with Ethanol for machince used. Ethanol is the outcome of many processing step, start with the sunlight and energy and it ends with carbon dioxide after burn of the Ethanol.

Looking at the first stage where plants growing by absord a energy of sunligt and carbon dioxide, after that harvester cut a trees and send to the pre-processing pahse where Cellulose produce. Industries process the Cellulose to make a Sugars which is the second last step of Ethanol.Turning to Microbes added, it is the result of Sugars processing pahse, which convert the Ethanol in the industry area for machine used.

By the end of the final stage Ethanol is the final production of the biofuel and it used in a car, bus and a airplane. These macine burn the Ethanol and produce a carbon dioxide which is a part of biofuel production.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the process as a sequence and include several key stages, including plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol. The overview also recognises that carbon dioxide is released when the fuel is used. However, some important relationships are unclear or inaccurate: the diagram shows ethanol being used by a car, truck and aeroplane, not a bus, and carbon dioxide returns to support plant growth, completing the cycle. The overview says production ends with ethanol, then describes carbon dioxide as an endpoint, without clearly explaining this circular feature. Some stages are also misrepresented, particularly the claim that microbes convert ethanol; they are added after sugars to produce ethanol. A clearer, more complete account of these features would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the production stages and then fuel use. Sequencing phrases such as “Looking at the first stage” and “By the end of the final stage” help guide the reader. However, progression is not consistently clear because the overview gives conflicting endpoints, and the final paragraph does not connect carbon dioxide back to plant growth. Some links are mechanical or imprecise, such as “Turning to Microbes added,” while the long middle sentence combines several stages and makes their relationships difficult to follow. Use one paragraph for the production sequence and another for fuel use and the carbon cycle, with clear links such as “subsequently” and “finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “Cellulose,” “Sugars,” “Ethanol” and “carbon dioxide,” so the reader can identify the main subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the process difficult to understand. For example, “harvester cut a trees” and “Industries process the Cellulose” are not natural descriptions, while “Ethanol for machince used” is unclear. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “begining,” “sunligt,” “pahse” and “macine.” Aim for precise process verbs and consistent spelling; for example, describe materials as being “converted into” or “processed to produce” the next substance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which convert the Ethanol” and sequencing clauses beginning “where” and “after that.” However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “This diagram outline,” “the production … start,” and “plants growing by absord,” where the subject–verb pattern and verb forms are not controlled. The sentence “which convert the Ethanol in the industry area for machine used” also has an unclear grammatical structure. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes, including passive forms: “The cellulose is processed to produce sugars, and microbes are then added to make ethanol.”

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