Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The process diagram of ethanol production is provided with seven insightful stages. Along with production process of this biofuel, the recursive cycle is also shown.

Overall, the manufacturing of ethanol begins with natural renewable resource i.e., energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide and ends up by its consumption in transits and vehicles. Its production is a recursive process.

Firstly, the energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide works for growth of plants and trees. The grown tree is then harvested and passed through a stage called pre-processing. After the pre-processing of wood logs and trees, cellulose is produced.

It cellulose acts as basic and vital ingredient for ethanol production when it is treated in lab through different processes and chemical contacts. The lab treatment of cellulose produces the sugars which are then treated with microbes. This is the last step of ethanol production when the microbes are added in the sugars and the ethanol is formed.

The ethanol is then used in vehicle that emits carbon dioxide which in turn works in collaboration with sunlight to produce energy for plants to be harvested. This process keeps recurring and a cycle is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the cycle, identifying its renewable inputs and the return of carbon dioxide to plant growth. It also reports the main production sequence from harvesting and pre-processing through cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol, so the key stages are covered. However, some details are generalised or not fully aligned with the diagram: it says ethanol is consumed in “transits and vehicles,” whereas the diagram specifically shows a car, truck and aeroplane, and it does not clearly explain that ethanol is used as fuel by these transport modes. The claim that cellulose is treated “in lab” with “chemical contacts” is also unsupported. More precise reporting of the transport uses and the carbon-dioxide loop would make the account more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised in a clear sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by the growth and processing stages, then the final fuel use and cycle. Linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “then,” “when,” and “which in turn” help the reader follow the process, and the final sentence returns to the cyclical feature introduced earlier. Paragraphing is appropriate and the progression is easy to understand. Some connections are less precise, however: “It cellulose” makes the reference unclear, while “This is the last step” could suggest that adding microbes itself is the final stage, rather than the subsequent formation of ethanol. A few transitions also compress several stages into long sentences. Clearer references and more explicit links between each stage would improve cohesion further.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is enough vocabulary to describe the process and its cycle, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “recursive.” The writer also attempts more formal phrasing, such as “vital ingredient” and “in collaboration with.” However, some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram: “recursive” is less suitable than “cyclical,” “consumption in transits” is awkward, and “chemical contacts” does not clearly describe a process shown in the visual. “Insightful stages” is also an imprecise description of the stages. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the main account, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer standard process collocations and use technical terms only where the diagram supports them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex structures, including relative clauses (“which are then treated with microbes”) and time or condition links (“when it is treated”). Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are present. “It cellulose acts” lacks a grammatical link between the subject and the noun, and “the grown tree is then harvested” does not agree well with the earlier plural “plants and trees.” There are also article and number issues in “used in vehicle,” and the sentence beginning “The ethanol is then used…” has an unclear relationship between the vehicle and the carbon dioxide it emits. Review sentence boundaries and check articles, singular/plural forms, and subject references. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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