Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-21

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 given diagram demonstrates the cyclic process of how ethanol is produced, a biofuel used by various vehicles such as air-crafts,cars and trucks. It involves three major stages; natural, physical and chemical process.

The process starts with plants absorbing sunlight and carbondioxide from environment. After their growth they are harvested. Then they enters a pre-processing stage which breaks them to produce cellulose. Folllowing that the cellulose is then processed which results in sugar production. Then to produce ethanol from those sugars there is need of some chemical addition.

In the chemical stage some microbes are added to the sugars which results in ethanol production. That ethanol is then used as fuel to power a significant amount of vehicles. However when that ethanol is burned in those vehicles a significant amount of carbondioxide is released into air. It keeps the biofuel production cycle running. Because that released carbondioxide is again used by plants for photosynthesis.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence from plant growth and harvesting through cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol, and you identify the diagram’s central feature: carbon dioxide released by transport returns to support plant growth. The opening also gives a useful overview by describing the process as cyclic. These details make the account relevant and generally accurate. Some features are less fully reported, however: the diagram shows ethanol being used by three specific transport modes, while “various vehicles” is less precise, and the role of sunlight and carbon dioxide in plant growth could be stated more clearly. The description of the stages as “natural, physical and chemical” is an interpretation rather than a distinction explicitly labelled in the diagram. More precise coverage of the diagram’s key inputs and outputs would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression: it begins with an overview, follows the production stages in order, and ends by explaining the carbon cycle. Sequencing expressions such as “After,” “Then,” and “Following that” help the reader track the process, and the final explanation links the end back to the beginning. The organisation is coherent, though the repeated use of “Then” makes some transitions mechanical. The second and third paragraphs also divide the process at a point that could be made more purposeful, since microbes and ethanol are introduced across both. Use a wider range of concise links and clearer references—for example, explicitly connect the ethanol’s use in transport to the carbon dioxide released—to make progression smoother and cohesion less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “photosynthesis,” which allows you to describe the stages and the cycle. “Cyclic process” and “released” are also appropriate choices. Some wording is imprecise or unnatural, however: “chemical addition” does not clearly name the addition of microbes, and “a significant amount of vehicles” is an awkward collocation and overstates what the diagram establishes. “Air-crafts” is not the standard spelling or form; use “aircraft” or “aeroplanes.” There are also spelling and spacing slips in “carbondioxide” and “Folllowing.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and consistent spelling, especially when describing diagram labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including the relative clause in “a biofuel used by various vehicles” and the conditional-style explanation beginning “Because that released carbon dioxide is again used by plants.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are present. In “Then they enters,” the plural subject requires “enter”; “there is need of some chemical addition” needs an article and a more complete construction, such as “some microbes need to be added”; and “when that ethanol is burned in those vehicles” would be more naturally expressed with a clear reference to its use as fuel. The final “Because” clause is a sentence fragment. Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, while retaining the complex structures you attempt.

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