Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-02

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 cyclic diagram illustrate the process of creation of a biofuel named as ethanol.

Overall, the process begins with the harvestation of plants and trees,after processing into sugars and adding microbes the ethanol is produced ,which is further used as a biofuel. Also, its emission of gases are used again by the trees, representing the life cycle of ethanol.

At a glance, it is evident that the process starts with the cutting of the trees and plants. Afterwards, it is taken for pre-processing and a compound named as cellulose is produced. Following to this, sugar is produced by its processing. Then microbes are added to it .

Probing further, it can be seen that Ethanol is now ready for the usage. This biofuel could be used in transportation such as cars, trucks and aeroplanes. Eventually, the emission of Carbon Dioxide by these tranports are again taken up by the trees to produce energy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You cover the main stages and give a clear overview of the cycle, noting that plants are harvested, processed into sugars, and converted into ethanol, with carbon dioxide returning to support plant growth. The transport uses—cars, trucks and aeroplanes—are also accurately included. This gives the response a clear, relevant account of the process. However, the opening stage is described as beginning with harvesting, whereas the diagram begins with sunlight and carbon dioxide enabling plants and trees to grow. The account also compresses the role of cellulose and does not clearly explain that microbes are added before ethanol is produced. More precise coverage of these links would make the key features better supported and avoid over-generalising the sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression, moving from an overview to the production stages and then to ethanol’s use and the return of carbon dioxide. Paragraphing helps distinguish these parts, and signposts such as “Afterwards,” “Following to this,” and “Eventually” guide the reader through the sequence. The progression is generally logical, although some linking phrases feel formulaic, and the comma-heavy overview makes the relationship between stages less smooth. References such as “it” and “its” in “it is taken for pre-processing” and “by its processing” are not fully clear, since the reader must infer whether they refer to the plants, cellulose, or another material. Use more precise references and connect each stage directly to the next to make cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” “emission,” and “transportation,” which allows you to describe the diagram’s main stages. Some less common choices are attempted, but several are inaccurate or unnatural: “harvestation” is not the appropriate noun here, “creation of a biofuel” is less precise than “production,” and “taken up by the trees to produce energy” does not clearly express the carbon cycle. There are also spelling and word-choice slips, including “tranports” and “named as.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision. Prefer standard process collocations and check spelling, especially for key terms that recur in the description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview clause “which is further used as a biofuel” and the sentence beginning “Although” is not present; most ideas are nevertheless expressed in understandable sentences. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “The given cyclic diagram illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “its emission of gases are” mismatches a singular possessive subject with a plural verb. The sentence “Overall, the process begins … the ethanol is produced” also has inconsistent spacing and punctuation, and the sequence of clauses is difficult to control. Articles and sentence boundaries need attention as well. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes, checking agreement and punctuation in each sentence before adding more complex clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.