Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-13

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 figure illustrates how a biofuel called ethanol is produced. Overall, the process of biofuel is divided into eniviromental, mechanical and chemical and this fuel is used in vehicles.

Initally, the plants and tree consume energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide from the environment in the form of photosynthesis. Once these plants are fully matured, harvesting is done by farmer with the help of tactors. These plants undergo pre-processing method , in which the plants is put into a grinding machine and from a small particles, called cellulose. Meanwhile, cellulose enters into chemical processing, where a cheimical bond is fromed like sugars and microbes is added to form ethanol. This fuel is used an engergy sources in transportation like airoplanes, trucks and cars in the liquid form called petrol or desiel. The condensation of fuel in the atmosphere when used in a plane, trucks and cars, in which the fuel is burned out and a chemical is produced called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide get mixed into the air and the whole cycle of ethanol is carried again in the same steps..

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the subject and give a broad overview by noting that ethanol is produced through several stages and used in transport. You also include the main cycle from plant growth through processing to fuel use and carbon dioxide returning to the environment. However, some important details are unclear or inaccurate: the diagram shows cellulose being converted into sugars during processing, with microbes then added before ethanol is produced, whereas your account says a chemical bond is formed “like sugars.” The description of the fuel as petrol or diesel is not shown, and “condensation” does not accurately describe the carbon dioxide released when vehicles use ethanol. To strengthen the response, report the stages precisely and avoid adding unsupported information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall sequence, moving from plant growth and harvesting to processing, transport use, and the return of carbon dioxide. The opening overview also helps orient the reader. However, most of the information is placed in one long paragraph, and several transitions make the relationships between stages difficult to follow. For example, “Meanwhile” does not clearly connect cellulose processing to the addition of microbes, while the final sentence repeats the cycle without clearly linking the emissions back to plant growth. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and process details, and connect each stage with precise sequencing language such as “next,” “after this,” and “finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “carbon dioxide,” which helps communicate the topic. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “photosynthesis” and “chemical processing.” However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, including “the condensation of fuel,” “chemical bond is formed like sugars,” and “energy sources in transportation.” Spelling errors such as “eniviromental,” “tactors,” and “cheimical” also reduce precision. Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations—for example, describe carbon dioxide as being “released” when the fuel is burned, rather than using “condensation.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including clauses beginning “Once” and “in which,” and the overall sequence can generally be understood. However, errors occur frequently in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “the plants is put” should use a plural verb, and “microbes is added” has the same agreement problem. The sentence beginning “The condensation of fuel…” is also structurally difficult to follow, with unclear clause connections. Some punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, including the space before the comma in “method ,” and the repeated full stop at the end. Build accuracy by using shorter sentences for each stage, then check subject–verb agreement and clause boundaries.

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