Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-03

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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the process of making ethanol. It consists of various steps, starting from sowing of seeds and ending at ethanol.

First of all, seeds are sowed by manufacturers or farmers. These seeds use sunlight and carbon dioxide from environment as a source of energy. After some time, these seeds are converted into plants and trees. Having crops harvested by the means of specialized machines, it went through a process and they are now in new form called cellulose. Then cellulose are transported into the industries and went through a process.

After being processed, they are converted into a new structure known as sugar. Subsequently, microbes are added into sugar and a finalised product in the form of ethanol is available. It is delivered to different fuel stations where various kinds of vehicles are refueled. This ethanol is broken into a new structure in the engines of vehicles and these vehicles emit carbon dioxide into the environment. As a result, the level of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You describe the main production sequence from plant growth through harvesting, processing, sugar formation and the addition of microbes, and you recognise that ethanol is used as fuel. However, some details are not supported by the diagram: it does not show seeds being sown, manufacturers or farmers, delivery to fuel stations, or ethanol breaking down in engines. The overview also misses the defining feature of the process: carbon dioxide released by transport returns to the plants, completing a cycle. Your final claim that carbon dioxide simply increases in the atmosphere therefore misrepresents the diagram. The stages are relevant, but the cycle and some process details are less fully and accurately reported than the central sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a generally logical order, moving from plant growth to harvesting, processing and fuel use. Paragraphing separates the opening from the process description, and transitions such as “First of all,” “After some time,” and “Subsequently” help the reader follow the sequence. This gives the account a coherent overall structure. However, the opening says the process ends at ethanol, while the second paragraph continues to vehicle use and emissions, and the final sentence does not connect those emissions back to plant growth as the diagram does. Some references, such as “it” in “it went through a process,” are also unclear. A more explicit overview and clearer links between stages would make progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “processed,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “carbon dioxide,” which allows you to describe the main stages. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “a finalised product” and “a new structure known as sugar.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this diagram: “sowing of seeds” is not shown, “sowed” is an incorrect form, and “delivered to different fuel stations” adds an unsupported detail. “Broken into a new structure” is also an imprecise description of the carbon cycle. Prefer concise, diagram-specific terms such as “converted into sugars” and “released by vehicles.” This would improve precision and collocation while retaining your useful technical vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex forms, including participial openings such as “Having crops harvested…” and time clauses such as “After being processed…”. The sequence is usually understandable, but some errors in verb form, agreement and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “seeds are sowed” should be “seeds are sown,” while “it went through a process” shifts tense and has an unclear subject. “Then cellulose are transported … and went through a process” has a singular/plural agreement problem and inconsistent verb forms; “cellulose is transported … and processed” would be clearer. The phrase “a finalised product … is available” is also awkwardly constructed. More consistent passive forms and careful subject–verb agreement would strengthen control.

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