Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-29

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 given diagram shows the manufacturing process of a biofuel named ethanol.

Overall, the production cycle of ethanol shows, how the emitted Carbon Dioxide by burning the biofuel is finally consumed by the plants, trees and especially sugarcanes which is used as the raw material to manufacture the end product ethanol.

In the first stage, plants and trees including sugarcanes consume sunlight and Carbon Dioxide from atmosphere as a form of enery to grow. After grown matured, sugarcanes are being harvested by the help of mechanical mean such as harvesting vehicle. Afterwards, sugarcanes are taken to the mill to turn them into Cellulose before processing the extracted Cellulose into sugars. In the next stage sugars are mixed with microbes to manufacture the final product ethnol which is a biofuel that can be used to run vehicles like cars, trucks as well as airplane fuel.

Finally, the fuel burnt by the various types of transportation means emit Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere which is consumed by plants, trees including sugarcane fields.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You give a clear account of the cycle, covering plant growth, harvesting, conversion into sugars, the addition of microbes, ethanol use in transport, and the return of carbon dioxide to plants. The overview correctly identifies the circular relationship between fuel use and plant growth. However, some details go beyond or differ from the diagram: it does not specify sugarcane as the crop, say that plants especially consume carbon dioxide, or identify a mill. It also shows pre-processing producing cellulose, followed by processing, rather than explicitly saying the harvested material is turned into cellulose at a mill. Keep the description closely tied to the labelled stages and avoid adding unsupported specifics to make the account more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised in a clear sequence: an introduction, an overview, the production stages, and the final return of carbon dioxide. Time and sequence markers such as “In the first stage,” “Afterwards,” “In the next stage,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the process, and the final paragraph effectively completes the cycle. The progression is logical throughout. To make the organisation more polished, avoid the comma in “shows, how” and reduce repeated references to plants and carbon dioxide in the overview and conclusion. You could also group the stages more explicitly into plant growth and preparation, conversion to ethanol, and its use and emissions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “manufacturing process,” “raw material,” “harvested,” “processing,” and “final product.” These choices communicate the main stages, and terms such as “biofuel” and “atmosphere” fit the topic. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “mechanical mean” is not idiomatic, “consume sunlight … as a form of energy” is awkward, and “airplane fuel” does not clearly describe the diagram’s use of ethanol in an aeroplane. There are also spelling errors in “enery” and “ethnol,” alongside inconsistent capitalisation of “Carbon Dioxide” and “Cellulose.” Aim for precise process terms and check spelling and natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including the overview clause “which is used as the raw material” and the final sentence describing emissions and plant uptake. Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “shows, how” has incorrect punctuation, “After grown matured” is an incomplete and faulty construction, and “sugarcanes are being harvested” uses an awkward passive form for a general process. There are also agreement and article problems in “the fuel burnt … emit” and “by the help of mechanical mean.” Use consistent present simple passive forms for process stages, such as “is harvested,” and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries.

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