Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-18

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 of Biofuel production from where ethanol is made.

The whole structure of the production include around 7 steps beginning from energy sources to ethanol producing where the element ethanol again circulated through vehicles and then again transformed into energy. So, its generally a circulated process.

At the beginning of the production energy sources such as sunlight and carbon-di-oxide contribute to grow of trees and plantation. After havesting those plants and trees, the cellulose are extracted via pre-processing. Then those broken cellulose elements are grown through hardest chemical process from where sugars are made. Sequencially, microbes are added in the newly produced component. Finally, ethanol is made up from that processed element after that ethanol is used to run numerous types of transports such as cars, tracks even the air transports. Moreover these transport then again contribute to produce carbondioxide which worked as

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a production cycle and cover several key stages, including plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol. However, the account is incomplete: it stops mid-sentence at “which worked as” and does not explain that carbon dioxide released by the vehicles returns to support plant growth. The overview also says there are “around 7 steps,” although the diagram shows a longer sequence, and “transformed into energy” is not an accurate description of the cycle. The response is also three words below the required minimum. To improve, complete the final stage, describe the carbon-dioxide loop accurately, and give a concise overview of the full sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic chronological structure, signalled by “At the beginning,” “After,” “Then,” “Finally” and “Moreover,” so the reader can follow much of the production sequence. However, the response has only two paragraphs, with the second carrying many stages in one long chain, and it ends abruptly after “which worked as.” This prevents the final relationship in the cycle from being clear. Some links are also imprecise: “Then those broken cellulose elements are grown through…” does not clearly connect the material to processing and sugar production. Organise the stages into clearer groups, use transitions to show cause and sequence, and finish with a complete sentence explaining the return of carbon dioxide.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “cellulose,” “pre-processing,” “microbes” and “ethanol,” which helps identify the stages. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “numerous types of transports.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, including “hardest chemical process,” “newly produced component” and “transformed into energy”; these make the process less precise. Spelling errors such as “havesting,” “Sequencially” and “carbondioxide” are noticeable, and “tracks” appears to be an incorrect word for trucks. Aim for standard process vocabulary and accurate collocations, for example, say that cellulose is processed into sugars and that ethanol is used as fuel.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, including a sequence joined with “After” and “Then,” and the main stages are often understandable. However, errors in agreement, verb forms and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “The whole structure … include” needs subject–verb agreement, while “the cellulose are extracted” has incorrect agreement and article use. “Contribute to grow” should use a gerund or noun form, and “which worked as” is an incomplete clause that leaves the final idea unfinished. The long sentence beginning “Finally, ethanol is made…” also needs clearer punctuation and clause control. Practise accurate agreement and complete sentence boundaries, especially when describing linked stages.

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