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)

The given image illustrates how biofuel known as ethanol is formed.

Due to industrial revolution, biofuel has been introduced as a subsequent alternative to traditional sources of fuel like petrol. A life cycle for the production of biofuel has been discussed where the first step is followed by the growth of plants and trees that gains energy from sunlight. After harvesting of crops, pre-processing takes place where the plant parts are converted into cellulose. A significant process is carried out in the laboratories where cellulose is converted into sugars. After completion of the process, microfibres are added to extract the end product called ethanol.

Ethanol is a type of biofuel that runs engines of a certain types of vehicles. These automobiles emit carbon dioxide that goes up in the air and ultimately becomes part of the atmosphere. From there, the cycle continues and this type of cycle is commonly known as viscious cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the subject and describe several central stages, including harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, sugars, and ethanol, so the response is relevant to the diagram. However, the account only partially covers the process: it omits the initial role of carbon dioxide in plant growth and the addition of microbes, which you misreport as “microfibres.” The overview of the cycle is also unclear: carbon dioxide is released when ethanol is used by vehicles and then returns to support plant growth, rather than simply becoming part of the atmosphere. The claim that this is a “viscious cycle” is not a useful summary of the diagram. Include the full sequence and state the recycling relationship accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a generally understandable order, moving from plant growth through processing to vehicle use, and the paragraph break separates production from the final use of ethanol. Linking phrases such as “After harvesting” and “After completion of the process” help signal sequence. However, progression is weakened by the broad, unsupported opening about the industrial revolution, which interrupts the process description, and by unclear references such as “the process” and “this type of cycle.” The final explanation does not clearly connect vehicle emissions back to plant growth. Organise the report around the diagram’s stages, use a concise overview, and make the carbon-dioxide loop explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a process, including “pre-processing,” “converted,” “end product,” and “emit carbon dioxide.” Some attempts at more formal or less common wording are less accurate or natural: “subsequent alternative” is awkward in this context, “microfibres” misnames the microbes shown, and “viscious cycle” is both misspelled and an unsuitable description. “Runs engines of a certain types of vehicles” is also imprecise. Choose terms that match the diagram and favour clear process language over elaborate phrasing. For example, describe microbes as being added and ethanol as being used as fuel in transport. These improvements would make the account more precise while retaining its useful range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the meaning remains clear. The sequence sentence beginning “After harvesting of crops” shows an attempt to link stages, while “These automobiles emit carbon dioxide” is a clear simple construction. Some grammatical errors remain. In “a certain types of vehicles,” the article and plural noun do not agree; write “certain types of vehicles” or “a certain type of vehicle.” “A life cycle … has been discussed where” is an awkwardly formed relative clause, and “the first step is followed by the growth” obscures the intended sequence. Use direct active constructions, such as “Plants grow using sunlight and carbon dioxide,” and check articles, agreement, and clause structure.

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