Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-28

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 5.0)

The flow chart illustrates the process of ethanol.

This process has several different stages how it is made.

Overall, As a energy sunlight and carbon dioxide goes in a tree and that tree will be grown very fast and healthy. After that tree will be able for harvesting. The farmer will go in the field with machine and cut them off then they will keep that cutted tree in the machine. They took that tree for pre-processing. After pre-processing the tree it will come up a cellulose. That cellulose will ready for processing. After that processing it was ready for sugars. We have to add microbes in the sugar. After all the process the ethanol is ready and it is produced.

In detail, ethanol is used for different types of transportation machine for instance car, truck and airplanes helps them to create carbon dioxide. That carbon dioxide is mix in environment.

In conclusion the ethanol is made of trees including energy as a sunlight and carbon dioxide which presents environment a carbon dioxide.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main stages, from plant growth and harvesting through pre-processing, cellulose, processing, sugars, microbes and ethanol, and you mention its use in cars, trucks and aeroplanes. This gives the reader a relevant account of the process. However, the overview is not clearly separated from the stage-by-stage description, and some details are unclear or unsupported: for example, the diagram does not say that trees grow “very fast and healthy” or that a farmer cuts them “in the field.” Most importantly, the circular feature is only partly reported. Explain that carbon dioxide released by transport returns to support plant growth, completing the cycle. A more concise, accurate overview would make the key features clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, and phrases such as “After that” and “After pre-processing” help the reader follow some stages. Paragraphing also separates the production stages from transport use. However, progression is weakened by repeated sequencing phrases and by unclear links between ideas. The opening overview begins “Overall, As a energy…” but then continues as a long list of stages, so it does not clearly summarise the whole diagram. “In detail” introduces transport, while “In conclusion” repeats earlier information rather than adding a clear final point. Organise the response into an introduction, a concise overview of the cycle, and logically grouped production and use stages; use precise links to show how carbon dioxide returns to plant growth.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use several relevant process terms, including “harvesting,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes” and “ethanol,” which help identify the diagram’s stages. However, the vocabulary range is limited and some word choices or combinations are inaccurate, making parts of the account difficult to interpret. For example, “the tree will be able for harvesting” and “create carbon dioxide” do not express the process naturally, while “cutted tree” is an incorrect form. “Transportation machine” is also less precise than naming the transport modes directly. Aim to use accurate process collocations and avoid adding descriptive language such as “very fast and healthy,” which is not shown in the diagram. The suggestions below offer more suitable alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response mainly uses simple sentences and attempts some longer structures, such as “After that tree will be able for harvesting,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in articles, agreement, verb forms and sentence construction occur throughout: “As a energy sunlight and carbon dioxide goes in a tree” and “That cellulose will ready for processing” are difficult to follow as written. Tense also shifts between “will,” “took” and “was ready,” although the diagram describes a general process and is best reported consistently in the present simple. There are also punctuation and capitalisation problems, including the unnecessary capital in “Overall, As.” Practise clear present-simple process sentences, checking each for a subject, a correctly formed verb and appropriate articles.

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