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 diagram illustrates a step by step process of how a biofuel known as ethanol, production take place. Starting from the carbon dioxide released by the vehicles and the airplanes, ending by the microbes added, formed ethanol.

Overall, the whole process consist of 8 different steps to make the ethanol which used to run the engines of transportation machines. Gases released by those machines starts the whole process and help to make ethanol and then used by same machines to run there engines.

At first, cars, trucks, and airplanes released carbon dioxied which mixed up into the environtment and followed by the next step where the plants and the trees grow by using the energy (sunlight combines with CO2) as its source, next, where these were harvesting by harvestor which further goes to the pre-processing using a cutting machine converting them in to small beans.

Beans then become cellulose which goes to the labs for the further processing combined with different chemicals and changed them into sugars and then the micbrobes added into it, made ethanol. The same ethanol made in labs is used as fuel by the same vehicles which are source of producing it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the subject and describe several key stages, including plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, conversion to cellulose and sugars, the addition of microbes, and the use of ethanol as transport fuel. You also recognise the cycle linking vehicle emissions with plant growth. However, the overview says there are “8 different steps” and that the process ends with microbes, whereas the diagram shows ethanol being produced and then used by vehicles, with carbon dioxide returning to the plants. Some details are invented or inaccurate: it does not show beans, a cutting machine, laboratory chemicals, or the emissions mixing into the environment. To strengthen the response, report only visible stages and make the complete circular sequence clear; the production stages are relevant, but the cycle and final ethanol output need more accurate coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing stages. Sequencing expressions such as “At first,” “next,” and “then” help the reader follow the process. However, progression is weakened by the overview’s claim that the process ends with microbes, followed by later information about ethanol and vehicle use. The opening sentence is also difficult to follow because it combines the starting and ending points in an unclear way. Some links are mechanical, and long sentences joined by repeated “and” or “which” make relationships between stages less clear. Organise the description in the diagram’s actual cycle, use paragraphing to separate production from fuel use and emissions, and make references such as “these” and “it” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes,” and “ethanol,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or informal for a process description. “Beans” does not match the diagram’s cellulose stage, while “mixed up into the environment” and “same vehicles” are imprecise. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “dioxied,” “environtment,” “harvestor,” and “micbrobes,” which reduce clarity. Aim for precise terms that describe only what is shown, and check spelling carefully. More accurate process verbs such as “is converted into” and “is used as fuel” would make the account clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the sequence is generally understandable. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some parts difficult to read. For example, “the whole process consist” should use a singular verb, and “which used to run” needs a clearer passive construction, such as “which is used to run.” The opening fragment, “Starting from … ending by …,” is not a complete sentence, and “the plants and the trees grow … as its source” has unclear agreement and reference. Build accuracy by using straightforward present-simple or passive forms for each stage, checking subject–verb agreement, and separating long sentences into complete clauses with clear punctuation.

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