Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-17

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)

This diagram illustrates the information about how biofuel made after the number of steps. Another name of biofuel is ethanol.

Overall, the main source of this is plants and trees after doing some processing chemical bond of sugar made and at last it used in different vehicles. Carbon emission from cars, buses again used for growth of plants.

To begin with, energy is required for the development of trees which come from sunlight and carbon dioxide then it harvest by using some machines of by man. In the next step, all material passes through pre-processing separate the cellulose. At this point, this material send into the labortries for processing.

Furthermore, microbes added into the sugar to form ethanol. This biofuel is now ready to use in aeroplanes, cars, buses and other transportation system. Vehicles produce carbon dioxide in the form of smoke and plants again absorb this gas.

To conclude, this process is in the form of cycle. Every step is important for producing ethanol.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and identify the process as a cycle, noting that plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide and that transport emissions return to plant growth. This gives the reader a relevant overview. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram shows a car, truck and aeroplane, not buses, and it is sugars—not “the sugar” as a general material—that microbes act on before ethanol is produced. The description of pre-processing and cellulose is also difficult to follow, and the overview does not clearly explain the full sequence from plant material through processing to fuel. To strengthen the response, report each key stage precisely and distinguish the production stages from the later use of ethanol.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by stages in the process and a concluding statement. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “In the next step,” and “Furthermore” help guide the reader through the cycle. However, some links are mechanical, and the progression becomes unclear in sentences such as “all material passes through pre-processing separate the cellulose” and “this material send into the labortries.” The final paragraph also repeats the cycle idea rather than adding a clear final stage or relationship. Use clearer sentence connections and refer explicitly to each material as it changes—for example, plant matter becomes cellulose, then sugars, then ethanol—to make the sequence easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” “ethanol,” and “carbon dioxide,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, making parts of the process difficult to understand. Examples include “chemical bond of sugar made,” “carbon emission,” and “used in different vehicles”; the diagram is better described as showing sugars being converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide released by vehicles. There are also spelling errors such as “labortries.” Aim for precise process verbs and natural collocations, and check spelling carefully. This will make your description more accurate without requiring unnecessarily technical language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “energy … which come from sunlight and carbon dioxide” and a sequence of linked stages. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors make individual sentences unclear. For example, “it harvest” needs a passive form (“it is harvested”), while “this material send into” also needs a correctly formed passive (“this material is sent into processing”). In “pre-processing separate the cellulose,” the sentence lacks a clear grammatical connection between the stages. Subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence construction also need attention. Practise forming accurate passive sentences, which are especially useful for describing processes, and check each clause for a subject and a correctly conjugated verb.

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