Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The process starts with plants and trees growing using the energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide (which is produced by many different processes going on simultaneously in the world one of them being machines using ethanol as the fuel) and then those plants and trees (this usually includes sugar and starch based corps) are harvested, the harvest goes through pre-processing which creates cellulose then cellulose is passed through specific processing thus creating specific sugars as the product then microbes are added to those said sugar to create the ethanol. Ethanol is then used by many different machines and vehicles which combust ethanol and produce carbon monoxide, which is essential (in moderation for our environment/ecosystem to work properly). This whole process is looped, for example then that released carbon dioxide in addition to sunlight from the sun is used by plants and trees to grow thus helping the environment in many different ways.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main stages in the correct order, from plant growth and harvesting through cellulose, sugars and microbes to ethanol, and you recognise that the process forms a cycle. However, the account only partially reports the diagram: it does not mention the three transport modes (car, truck and aeroplane), and it inaccurately says vehicles produce “carbon monoxide” rather than the carbon dioxide shown. The added claims about sugar- and starch-based crops, the environmental importance of carbon monoxide, and benefits to the environment are not supported by the visual. A clearer overview should describe ethanol use in transport and the return of carbon dioxide to plant growth, without adding outside explanations. This would make the key features more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The stages are generally presented in a sensible sequence, and phrases such as “then” and “This whole process is looped” help signal progression and the cycle. However, the response is one very long paragraph, with several stages and extra commentary joined into a single sentence. This makes the progression difficult to follow and gives the account no clear separation between the production stages and the cycle’s final return. Some references, such as “those said sugar,” are also awkward to track. Organise the response into a brief overview followed by clearly grouped stages, and use full stops to separate the main steps. More precise linking would improve the flow without relying repeatedly on “then.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “processing,” and “microbes,” which allows you to describe several technical stages. There are also some imprecise or unnatural choices: “specific processing” and “specific sugars” do not explain the stages clearly, while “machines” is less precise than the diagram’s transport examples. “Carbon monoxide” is a vocabulary error that changes the meaning of the diagram’s label, carbon dioxide. The phrase “sugar and starch based corps” also contains a spelling error and introduces unsupported detail. Aim for accurate, diagram-based terms and avoid vague modifiers such as “specific”; this will make your otherwise adequate range more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts complex structures, including a relative clause in “carbon dioxide (which is produced…)” and a sequence linked with “then,” but the long sentence is difficult to control. Several clauses are joined without appropriate sentence boundaries, and the parenthetical explanation interrupts the main process description. There are also errors in forms and agreement, such as “those said sugar” and “that released carbon dioxide,” which should be expressed with a clear determiner and noun phrase. The final sentence begins “for example then,” creating an awkward structure. Use a mix of shorter sentences and controlled complex clauses, checking articles, demonstratives and punctuation. This would make the stages easier to understand while retaining grammatical variety.

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.