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 illurstrates the process how Ethanol is obtained from plants and tress and for what purposes they are used.

Overall, the process contain following stages with beginning of plants and tress.First of all, plants and trees rise with the reaction of sunlight and carbon dioxide when they grow completely they are harvested by tracter.Then harvested material is fed into machine where they were grind and converted into small pieces with the help of pre-processsing.After that this material retained a shape of cellulose which lead into chemical process by mixing different types of chemicals which converted these cellulose into sugars.Furthermore, microbes were added into sugars.Finally, a pure Ethanol was obtained which is used in aeroplanes,trucks and cars.These equipments used Ethanol and release carbon dioxide which is again reacted with trees and this process is repe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main subject and describe much of the sequence, from plant growth and harvesting through cellulose, sugars, microbes and ethanol. You also mention the three transport uses and the return of carbon dioxide, so the account is relevant to the diagram. However, the overview is unclear (“the process contain following stages”) and does not clearly highlight the key feature that this is a cycle in which carbon dioxide released during fuel use returns to support plant growth. Some details are inaccurate or unsupported: the diagram does not specify that chemicals are mixed in processing, and it does not say the ethanol is “pure.” The response is also 15 words below the required minimum. Develop the overview and describe the stages more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the general order of the process, and sequencing expressions such as “First of all,” “After that,” “Furthermore” and “Finally” help the reader track the stages. However, most information is compressed into one long paragraph, with several stages joined together rather than clearly grouped. The opening overview is difficult to interpret, and the final sentence is cut off at “this process is repe,” leaving the cycle unfinished. Some links are mechanical, and references such as “this material” and “these cellulose” are not always clear. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the process, and make the final link back to plant growth explicit to create a complete progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” “sugars” and “carbon dioxide,” which allows the reader to recognise the main stages. There is also some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “converted into” and “obtained.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “illurstrates,” “tress,” “tracter” and “pre-processsing.” Several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “plants and trees rise,” “retained a shape of cellulose” and “these equipments.” These choices sometimes make the process harder to understand. Aim for accurate process collocations, for example, “plants grow,” “the material is processed into cellulose,” and “vehicles use ethanol.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect stages using longer sentences and subordinate clauses, but control is inconsistent, which makes some relationships difficult to follow. For example, “when they grow completely they are harvested” lacks clear punctuation and uses an awkward clause structure, while “which lead into chemical process” has agreement and article problems. There are also errors in verb forms and sentence construction, as in “where they were grind” and “which converted these cellulose into sugars.” The final sentence is incomplete, so the grammatical relationship between carbon dioxide and the cycle is not finished. Use a consistent present simple passive for process stages (“the material is ground,” “microbes are added”) and check agreement, articles and sentence boundaries.

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