Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-15

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 the process by which the ethanol produced from the biofuel.

Overall, the process consist of 7 main stages, beginning with the harvesting of plants and ending with useable ethanol. It can be divided in to two phases. Phase one preparing for the process. Phase two is producing the final product which is Ethanol and being used in tansport system.

The process begins when plants and trees are harvested. Then they put it in a machine for pre-processing and left to Cellulose. After this, they start the processing on the cellulose.

Continouing the process on Cellulose and theoutput is combined sugars chemical after that Microbes are added . So the final product is Ethanol which is being using in cars, trucks and aeroplanes. Consequently, the carbon dioxide is produced. In return sunlight and carbon dioxide combined and produce enery for the plant and trees and then start this process from beginning.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main stages from plant material through processing, sugars and microbes to ethanol, and you include the transport uses and the return of carbon dioxide to plant growth. The closing explanation captures the cycle’s key feature. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the diagram shows more than seven stages, and the process begins with plants growing through sunlight and carbon dioxide, not with harvesting. Some steps are also unclear or incomplete, particularly “left to Cellulose” and the transition from processing to sugars. To strengthen the response, describe the initial growth stage and explain the sequence more precisely, while distinguishing the production stages from the later use of ethanol and carbon-dioxide cycle.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the production sequence and the cycle’s ending. Sequencing expressions such as “After this,” “after that,” and “In return” help the reader follow the general order. However, progression is sometimes disrupted by unclear links and abrupt phrasing. For example, “Phase one preparing for the process. Phase two is producing…” does not form a clear, balanced explanation, while “Continouing the process on Cellulose and theoutput…” makes the relationship between processing and sugars difficult to follow. Use complete, parallel sentences to define the two phases, and connect each stage explicitly to the next. This would make the overall organisation more consistently clear and reduce the need for the reader to infer relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “Microbes,” “Ethanol,” and “carbon dioxide,” which allows you to cover the diagram’s main concepts. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “final product” and “transport system.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “left to Cellulose,” “combined sugars chemical,” and “being using.” Spelling errors such as “Continouing,” “tansport,” and “enery” also detract from clarity. Aim for precise process language—for example, say that cellulose is produced, then processed into sugars, and that microbes convert the sugars into ethanol. More accurate collocations and careful spelling would make your vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a sequence joined with “Then” and the final explanation beginning “In return…”. The main stages can generally be understood, but some sentence structures and verb forms are not controlled consistently. For example, “the process consist” has subject–verb disagreement, and “the process by which the ethanol produced” is missing a verb form needed to complete the clause. “The process begins when plants and trees are harvested” also changes the meaning by making the plants the object of harvesting rather than describing their growth before harvesting. Sentence fragments such as “Phase one preparing for the process” further limit accuracy. Build complete clauses, check agreement and verb forms, and use a wider range of accurately controlled sentence patterns.

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