Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-22

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 diagram explains the complete process how ethanol is made which is a biofuel product.Creation of ethanol involves various steps and each step plays an important role.

For product of ethanol,Carbon Dioxide plays a critical role. Different vehicles like cars, trucks and airplanes use ethanol and during the emission of ethanol, they release carbon dioxide into the air. Even though Carbon Dioxide is not healthy for humans, but for plants and trees to grow CO2 is essential product. It have the same role as oxygen have for humans.

So process goes like this, when Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by plants and trees, it help them to grow. Sunlight and carbon dioxide plays an important role in plants and tree to grow. When plants and trees grows, next step in this proces is harvesting. Plants are harvested by tractors. Then come pre-processign step from which we get cellulose. Cellulose are moved into factories and processing is being done on them. During processing at factory stage, sugar is producted. Once sugar is producted, microbes are added into sugar. Microbes accelerate the process of ethanol formation and ethanol is obtained. Ethanol is then being used in different vehicles and whole process circle repeats.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages from plant growth and harvesting through processing, sugar production, the addition of microbes and ethanol use. You also identify the diagram’s central feature: carbon dioxide released by transport returns to support plant growth, giving the process a cyclical character. However, the overview is not clearly separated or fully developed, and some details are unclear or go beyond what the diagram states. For example, the claim that microbes “accelerate” ethanol formation is not shown; the diagram only indicates that microbes are added. The explanation of carbon dioxide’s role is also repeated, while the pre-processing and cellulose stages receive little explanation. A more concise overview of the cycle, followed by precise reporting of each stage, would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a generally understandable sequence, moving from the role of carbon dioxide to the production stages and then to ethanol use. Paragraphing also separates the introductory comments from the process description. However, the progression is not consistently controlled: the second paragraph discusses vehicle emissions before the process itself, and the third repeats the importance of sunlight and carbon dioxide. Linking phrases such as “So process goes like this” are conversational and do not create a clear formal structure. Some references, including “them” and “them” in the factory sentence, are not fully precise. Organise the response around a brief overview and then follow the diagram’s stages in order, using clear transitions without repeating information.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “cellulose,” “processing,” “microbes” and “emission,” so the reader can follow the subject. There is some variety in how you describe the stages, but word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive. Phrases such as “product of ethanol,” “sugar is producted” and “emission of ethanol” are not natural ways to describe the process; “ethanol production,” “sugars are produced” and “carbon dioxide is released” would be clearer. Spelling errors such as “pre-processign” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process language and avoid adding explanations that the diagram does not support.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional-style contrast beginning “Even though” and a sequence of clauses describing the stages. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “It have the same role as oxygen have” should use matching singular verb forms, while “when Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by plants and trees, it help them” has an agreement error. The opening sentence, “The diagram explains the complete process how ethanol is made,” also needs a clearer grammatical structure. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and use straightforward sentence patterns to describe each stage before attempting longer constructions.

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