Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The diagram illustrates the process how to produced the biofuel called ethanol and explains the several main stages in this process.

Overall, it is clear that the 8 main stages in this process and five different categories can use in this process, This process start at plants and trees growing and end at release the carbon in the atmosphere.

The first main stage is that farmmars growing trees and plants with help of the harvesting, After that this plants convert into the small pieces though the pre-processing machine. then these pieces convert into the cellulose, after converting start the chamical processing, where find the extra sugars in these celluslose. This sugars change into the microbes and find the ethanol.

The ethanol use for different transports purpose, such as car etc. After using the ethanol, these transports release the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and trees and plants used this carbon dioxide and sunlight for growing means all these process spport each together.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main stages and identify the important cycle: plant growth, harvesting, processing, ethanol use in transport, and carbon dioxide returning to support further growth. This gives the reader a relevant overall account. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate. The diagram shows sunlight and carbon dioxide helping plants grow, rather than farmers growing them “with help of the harvesting”; it also shows microbes being added to sugars, not sugars changing into microbes. The overview’s claim of “8 main stages” and “five different categories” is not clearly supported or useful. To strengthen the response, describe the sequence precisely and distinguish the production stages from the transport and carbon-recycling parts of the cycle.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs following the process from plant growth to carbon dioxide returning to the plants. Sequencing phrases such as “After that” and “The first main stage” help show the order. However, some links are mechanical or unclear, and punctuation sometimes makes the progression harder to follow. For example, “then these pieces convert into the cellulose, after converting start the chamical processing” joins several stages without clear sentence boundaries. The final sentence also compresses the transport emissions and plant growth into one long explanation. Use clearer sentence breaks and more precise links such as “Next,” “At this stage,” and “Finally,” while keeping each sentence focused on one or two connected steps.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “processing,” “ethanol,” and “carbon dioxide,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more specific terms, such as “chemical processing.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “the process how to produced,” “find the extra sugars,” and “these transports” do not express the intended meanings naturally. Spelling errors such as “farmmars,” “celluslose,” and “spport” also reduce precision. Aim to use standard process verbs and collocations consistently—for example, materials are “converted into” or “processed to produce” something, and vehicles “use ethanol as fuel.” Proofreading technical terms would improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “where find the extra sugars” and a concluding explanation of the carbon cycle. However, control is uneven, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction sometimes make the process difficult to follow. Examples include “the process how to produced,” “This process start,” and “these transports release,” where the verb forms or agreement are incorrect. The sentence beginning “Overall, it is clear that” is also incomplete, while several comma splices join independent ideas. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes, such as “the plants are harvested” and “microbes are added to the sugars,” and use full stops to separate stages.

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