Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-20

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 circular process of how ethanol is produced. It shows us how carbon dioxide is used to make ethanol.

Overall, ethanol is produced from its own byproduct carbon dioxide which we can get by burning it as fuel. The carbon dioxide is consumed by trees which can be processed into ethanol using many chemicals and microbes.

initially, trees take carbon dioxide, sunlight and energy from the enviorment to make food . Then the trees are harvested and pre-processed to make cellulose which contains sugar. But it has to go through a complex process using chemicals and heats in order to extract sugar from cellulose. After sucessfully converting to sugar, microbes are added to create ethanol.

Ethanol is used as fuel for vehicles and airplanes. By burning ethanol we get carbon dioxide. This same carbon dioxide is used by trees to grow themselves. So, the carbon dioxide released by burning ethanol is used by the trees and those trees are used for producing ethanol. This is how the biofuel ethanol is produced in a circular process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the diagram as a circular process and cover its main stages, from plant growth and harvesting through cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol, then explain how carbon dioxide returns to the plants. This gives the response a relevant overview and shows a sound grasp of the cycle. Some details, however, are not supported by the diagram: it does not show chemicals or heat being used, nor does it say that cellulose contains sugar; instead, processing converts cellulose into sugars. The overview also says ethanol is produced from its own by-product, which is an imprecise description of the cycle. To strengthen the response further, report the diagram’s stages precisely and include that ethanol supplies cars, trucks and aircraft.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a clear sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by the production stages and then the fuel’s use and carbon-dioxide return. This makes the process easy to follow overall. Linking expressions such as “Then,” “After,” and “So” help signal progression, and the final sentences reinforce the circular nature of the process. However, some connections are repetitive, particularly the repeated explanation that carbon dioxide from burning ethanol is used by trees. The lowercase “initially” after a paragraph break also interrupts the presentation. Use more precise stage-to-stage links and avoid restating the cycle in the conclusion; this would make cohesion less repetitive and the progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processed,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “byproduct,” which helps communicate the stages. Some choices are imprecise or do not match the visual: “chemicals and heats” is not shown, and “extract sugar” is less accurate than describing the conversion of cellulose into sugars. “Make food” and “used as fuel” are understandable but relatively general for this process description. There are also spelling errors in “enviorment” and “sucessfully.” Aim for accurate technical collocations and check spelling; for example, describe plants as absorbing carbon dioxide and sunlight, and say that processing converts cellulose into sugars.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including the relative clause in “carbon dioxide … which we can get by burning it as fuel” and the time clause “After … converting to sugar, microbes are added.” Most sentences communicate the process clearly. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain: “initially” begins with a lowercase letter after a paragraph break, there is an unnecessary space before the full stop in “food .”, and “trees take carbon dioxide, sunlight and energy … to make food” has an awkward structure that obscures the relationship between the inputs. The phrase “trees … grow themselves” is also grammatically possible but unnatural in this context. Use consistent sentence capitalization and punctuation, and check clause structure and pronoun reference.

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