Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-26

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 diagram illustrates the process of how a biofuel known as ethanol is produced.

Overall, this diagram tells us exactly how ethanol is made and how it is a process which works in loop. It involves many stages from harvesting plants and trees, processing them and eventually after multiple steps ethanol is produced.

At the very first, The energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide leads to the growth of plants and trees. Then, these are harvested and send to pre-processing which is the next step. The purpose of pre-processing is to get the cellulose. Now, the cellulose is processed in laboratory to get needed sugars from it. We add microbes to sugar which is the final stage of the process. Now Ethanol is produced.

After the production, Ethanol is used in many vehicles. Such as aeroplanes, trucks, cars in which this biofuel is used as a fuel to run this vehicles. This vehicles eventually release carbon dioxide which again helps as energy for plants and trees to grow.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You cover the main stages accurately, from sunlight and carbon dioxide supporting plant growth through harvesting, pre-processing, cellulose, processing, sugars, microbes and ethanol. You also report the cycle’s return of carbon dioxide from transport to plant growth, giving the response a clear overview of the process. The sequence is generally well explained, and the vehicles are correctly identified. To make the account more fully developed, distinguish more precisely between the stages: the diagram shows cellulose being processed into sugars, then microbes being added before ethanol is produced. Your description of pre-processing as having the purpose of “get[ting] the cellulose” is a reasonable summary, but could be tied more explicitly to the labelled cellulose stage. Avoid adding details not shown, such as calling the processing site a “laboratory.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by the production stages and then the fuel’s use and carbon-dioxide cycle. Linking words such as “Then,” “After the production,” and “which again” help the reader follow the process. This gives the account a coherent overall structure. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “Now” is repeated, and “We add microbes to sugar which is the final stage” makes the relationship between adding microbes and producing ethanol less precise. The overview also repeats that ethanol is made without highlighting the cycle as clearly as it could. Use more precise stage-to-stage links and clearer references to the materials being processed to strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes,” and “carbon dioxide.” These terms are relevant and allow the reader to understand the main stages. There are, however, several awkward or imprecise choices: “works in loop” is not a natural way to describe a cycle, “get the needed sugars” is informal, and “helps as energy” does not accurately express carbon dioxide’s role. “Laboratory” is also an unsupported label for the processing facility. Aim for more precise process collocations and avoid conversational wording such as “tells us exactly.” These improvements would make the description more fluent and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “After the production, Ethanol is used in many vehicles” and a relative clause describing the carbon-dioxide cycle. The overall meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “these are harvested and send” needs a consistent passive form (“are harvested and sent”), while “this vehicles” should be “these vehicles.” The sentence beginning “Such as aeroplanes” is a fragment, and “which is the final stage” does not clearly attach to the preceding idea. Capitalisation of “The” and “Ethanol” is also inconsistent. Practise accurate passive constructions and complete sentence structures, especially when describing sequential stages.

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