Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-12

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 biofuel known as ethanol is produced.

Overall, the processed diagram illustrates several stages of carbon dioxide utilization by plants to produce sugar which is ultimately source of ethanol. It is later used is in transportation which produces carbon dioxide. Moreover, It creates a continous cycle of consumption of carbon dioxide by plants.

Initially, the sunlight and carbon dioxide is used by plants and trees, which is good source of energy for their growth. Later, when they grew, they are harvested, and transported for pre-processing. The material is then converted into cellulose, which processed as sugars.

Lastly, microbes are added into sugars to produce ethanol. The biofuel ethanol, then be used in transportation. For instance, cars, trucks, and aeroplane. Carbon dioxide produced by the commuting releases into atmosphere, which is later utilized by plants and trees, thats make an endless cycle of biofuel ethanol.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages from plant growth and harvesting through cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol, and your overview correctly identifies the process as a cycle involving carbon dioxide. The transport uses and the return of carbon dioxide to plants are also included. However, some details are unclear or not fully accurate: the diagram shows carbon dioxide released by the car, truck and aeroplane, rather than simply by “commuting,” and it does not show harvested material being transported. The explanation of how the stages connect is also brief. The response is three words below the required minimum, so it does not meet the length requirement. Add a little more precise detail about the processing stages and the emissions loop to develop the summary fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological account of the process. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially,” “Later” and “Lastly” help the reader follow the stages, and the final sentence returns to the cycle described in the overview. Some connections are less clear, however. For example, “which processed as sugars” leaves the relationship between cellulose, processing and sugars incomplete, while “It is later used is in transportation” interrupts the flow. The overview also repeats the cycle idea in the final sentence. Use complete, clearly linked sentences and group the production stages separately from the transport-and-emissions loop to make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes” and “transportation,” which allows you to describe the diagram’s main stages. There is some variety in how you refer to the cycle and its outputs. However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise or awkward, such as “processed diagram,” “source of energy for their growth” and “commuting releases into atmosphere.” Spelling errors in “continous” and “thats” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the general process, but more precise terms for the diagram’s stages and emissions would strengthen the description. Check spelling and choose natural collocations when revising.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “which” and a time sequence introduced by “when.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “the sunlight and carbon dioxide is used” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “which processed as sugars” is missing a verb form. “It is later used is in transportation” contains an unnecessary repeated verb, while “thats make” has an incorrect verb form. Practise checking each sentence for a complete verb phrase and agreement, and use punctuation to integrate examples such as the list of transport modes.

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