Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-14

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 5.0)

So today we are ging to discussed how ethanol is produced.Firslty Plants and trees gorws by taking energy from the sunlight and plants also require carbondioxide as well fro their growth. then the Plants especially sugarcane is harvested and then the sugarcane is pre processed to make cellulose when the cellulose is made then it is furhtur processed to make the suagrs.after it is converted into suagars then the microbes are added it into this to get ethanol which is alchol and carbondioxide.The ethanol is ready to use in the market and the carbondioxide from the reaction again goest to the atmosphere in the reaction and then the plants aaian get the carbondioxide from the atmposphere and the cycle can be conti ued again.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main stages from plant growth through harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol, and you recognise that carbon dioxide returns to support the cycle. However, the account is incomplete: it does not mention ethanol being used by cars, trucks and aircraft, whose emissions feed back into the cycle. The claim that the plants are “especially sugarcane” is not shown in the diagram, and describing ethanol as “alcohol” does not replace the missing transport detail. There is no clear overview that summarises the cycle as a whole. The response also falls 26 words short of the required minimum, limiting the detail you can provide. To improve, cover the transport and emissions stages and add a concise overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The stages are presented mostly in the order shown, so a reader can follow the basic transformation from plants to ethanol and the return of carbon dioxide. However, the response is one continuous block, with no paragraphing or distinct overview. Linking is largely dependent on repeated “and then” or “then,” and the long chain of stages makes relationships between them less clear. The final sentence also combines carbon dioxide release, atmospheric return and renewed plant growth without clearly separating these steps. Organise the report into an overview and a process description, and use a wider range of accurate sequencing expressions such as “next,” “after this” and “finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “cellulose,” “processed,” “microbes” and “ethanol,” which helps communicate the main stages. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors make the report less clear, including “suagrs,” “carbondioxide” and “atmposphere.” Some expressions are imprecise or unsuitable for a formal process description: “ready to use in the market” is not supported by the diagram, while “get the carbon dioxide” is less precise than describing plants as absorbing it. Avoid adding unsupported specifics such as sugarcane. Build a more accurate set of process terms and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect several stages in longer sentences, but sentence control is weak and errors are frequent enough to make parts difficult to read. For example, “Plants and trees gorws” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, and “the microbes are added it into this” has an incorrect construction. Tense and verb forms are also inconsistent, as in “the plants aaian get” and “the carbondioxide … goest.” Missing spaces after full stops and limited punctuation further obscure sentence boundaries. Use a consistent present simple for process descriptions, check agreement and articles, and divide the sequence into shorter, correctly punctuated sentences before attempting longer structures.

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