Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the process how ethanol also known as biofuel is produced.

Overall, the process consists of 7 stages beginning with growing and harvesting of plants and trees and ends with adding microbes to produce ethanol. These 7 stages consist of growing plants and trees, harvesting, pre-processing, processing and adding microbes which leads to the production of ethanol.

Firstly, plants and trees are grown with the help of sunlight and carbon dioxide. In the next stage, plant and trees are harvested. The harvested plants and trees are now go throught the pre-processing which results in making cellulose. Following this, the cellulose now undergo the processing which converts cellulose into sugars. Microbes are not added into sugar which leads to the production of ethanol.

This finished product now ready to use by automobile industry, the fuel burnt by the automobile creates carbon dioxide which released into the air and again helps in growing of plants and trees in the first stage.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main production sequence, from plant growth and harvesting through cellulose, sugars and ethanol, and you also mention the carbon-dioxide loop. This gives the reader a relevant account of the process. However, the overview is not fully accurate: it calls the process seven stages and says it ends with microbes being added, although the diagram continues to ethanol, transport use and carbon dioxide returning to plant growth. The final paragraph also generalises transport as the automobile industry, while the diagram shows a car, truck and aeroplane. To strengthen the response, give a precise overview of the full cycle and describe the transport and carbon-dioxide return more specifically; the intermediate stages are clearer than these later features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by a chronological account, with “Firstly,” “In the next stage,” and “Following this” guiding the reader through the process. The final paragraph also signals the return to the beginning of the cycle. This coherent progression meets the task well. Some links are less smooth or precise, however: “This finished product now ready to use” does not clearly connect the production stage to its use, and the overview repeats several stages already listed. The sequence would be easier to follow if the overview summarised the cycle rather than enumerating stages, and if the final paragraph explicitly linked fuel use and released carbon dioxide back to plant growth.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “converts,” and “production,” so the stages are generally identifiable. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise or repetitive, such as “the process how ethanol … is produced,” “helps in growing,” and repeated use of “plants and trees.” “Automobile industry” is also less accurate than naming the transport modes shown. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision. Aim for natural process descriptions and use the diagram’s specific terms, such as “transport,” “fuel is burned,” and “carbon dioxide is released and reabsorbed by growing plants.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the relative clause “which converts cellulose into sugars” and the sequence “which leads to the production of ethanol.” However, some errors in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction remain. For example, “plant and trees are now go” combines incompatible verb forms, “cellulose now undergo” lacks subject–verb agreement, and “This finished product now ready” is missing a verb. The final sentence also joins several clauses without clear grammatical boundaries. These errors sometimes make the process less smooth to read, although the intended meaning is usually recoverable. Practise accurate passive forms and complete clauses, such as “the plants are harvested” and “the finished product is ready for use.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.