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)

The diagram depicts the stages involved in the production of a biofuel called ethanol.

Overall, the process involves seven stages beginning at harvesting and ending in the use of ethanol in transports.

At the first stage in ethanol production, plants and trees grow by getting energy in the form of sunlight and carbon dioxide. After growing properly, they are harvested and transported into a factory by a truck. Then, processing is started on trees and plants. After pre-processing stage, plants are converted into cellulose and they are gone through the processing stage in the liboratory where cellulose are put into tesing tubes.

At the fifth stage shown on the diagram, sugars are formed before the addition of microbes. Finally, ethanol is manufactured from the microbes and process ends up when produced ethanol is used as a biofuel in vehicles emitting carbon dioxide gas into the air.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the subject and give an overview, noting that the process ends with ethanol being used as fuel and carbon dioxide being released. However, the overview is inaccurate: the diagram shows a cycle, not a seven-stage process beginning at harvesting, and it includes plant growth before harvesting. Several details are also invented or misread, including transporting the plants by truck and cellulose being placed in testing tubes in a laboratory. The account omits the return of carbon dioxide to support plant growth, a central feature of the diagram. The response is also four words below the required minimum. To improve, describe the full cycle accurately and select the key stages without adding unsupported details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological description. Sequencing phrases such as “At the first stage,” “Then,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the stages. However, the overview says the process ends with fuel use, while the final sentence mentions carbon dioxide emissions without explaining that these return to the plants, so the overall progression is incomplete. The phrase “After pre-processing stage” also makes the sequence harder to follow because the preceding sentence has already moved to processing. Group the stages in their actual order and use clear links to show the cycle, especially the connection between emissions and plant growth.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of process vocabulary, including “production,” “harvested,” “cellulose,” “addition of microbes,” and “biofuel.” These terms are relevant and generally allow the reader to understand the account. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “transported into a factory” is not shown, “used in transports” is unnatural, and “testing tubes” does not match the diagram. The spelling “liboratory” also weakens accuracy. Aim for precise, diagram-based wording, such as “processed” or “converted,” and avoid adding technical details that are not provided. More accurate collocations would make the description clearer and more appropriate for an academic process report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some longer structures, including “After growing properly, they are harvested…” and a final clause describing emissions. The main sequence is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “After pre-processing stage” needs an article (“After the pre-processing stage”), and “cellulose are put” has a subject–verb agreement error; cellulose is uncountable and takes “is.” The phrase “the process ends up when produced ethanol is used” is also awkwardly constructed and would be clearer as “the process ends when the ethanol produced is used.” Continue practising articles, agreement, and clause construction, while keeping longer sentences controlled and easy to follow.

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