Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The process diagram illustrates how ethanol which is a biofuel is produced from plants and trees with the help of sunlight and carbon dioxide.

Overall, the process is composed of many stages which works in cycle. The cycle begins with the growth of plants and trees and ends with the release of carbon dioxide as a result of the usage of ethanol in the cars, trucks and jets. Plants are harvested and brought to the processing plant. Processing plant produce sugars, which are then added to microbes to produce the final product which is ethanol. Ethanol is then used in cars, trucks and aeroplanes and resultantly emits carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Initially, plants and trees are transported in the trucks to a pre-processing plant where it is processed to produce cellulose. The processing of cellulose then takes place in the main processing plant and as a result gives sugars as an output.

Next, microbes are finally added into the sugars which then form ethanol. Ethanol is used by cars, trucks and aeroplanes and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the diagram as a cyclical process and give a useful overview, including plant growth, ethanol use in transport, and carbon dioxide returning to the plants. You also report the main conversion stages from cellulose to sugars and then ethanol. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram shows harvested material going through pre-processing before cellulose is obtained, but it does not show plants being transported in trucks. It also shows microbes being added to the sugars, rather than sugars being added to microbes. The overview and stage descriptions are relevant, but the growth stage’s dependence on sunlight and carbon dioxide and the carbon-dioxide loop could be explained more precisely. Covering these features accurately would make the account more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the process. Sequencing expressions such as “Initially” and “Next” help the reader follow the stages. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the overview already explains the processing and transport stages, which are then repeated in the body. The first body paragraph also begins with “Initially” but starts at pre-processing, leaving the earlier growth and harvesting stages without a clear chronological account. Some links are awkward, particularly “which then form ethanol,” where the reference to what forms ethanol is not fully clear. Organise the body in a single, uninterrupted sequence and use references that clearly identify each material or stage.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “carbon dioxide,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is also some variation in how you describe stages, such as “produce” and “as an output.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for this process: “plants and trees are transported in the trucks” is unsupported by the diagram, while “added into the sugars” is an awkward collocation. “Jets” is less accurate than the diagram’s “aeroplanes,” and “resultantly emits” sounds unnatural in this context. Aim for precise process verbs and natural collocations, and avoid introducing details not shown. This would make the vocabulary more accurate and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including relative clauses (“which are then added…”) and a passive construction (“Plants are harvested”). Meaning is generally understandable, but some errors in agreement and sentence structure remain. For example, “the process is composed of many stages which works in cycle” has a plural subject followed by “works,” and “Processing plant produce sugars” also needs subject–verb agreement and an article. In “plants and trees are transported… where it is processed,” the pronoun does not agree with the plural subject. The sentence beginning “Ethanol is used…” also joins two actions without a clear grammatical link. Check agreement, articles, and pronoun references, and vary sentence patterns while keeping each stage clearly expressed.

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