Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The diagram shows nine steps cycle of making biofuel named ethanol.starting f

The process starts by, plants observing energy from sunlight and carbondioxide from the atmosphere, which are later harvested using machinaries and pre-processed to form cellulose. It under goes processing in factories to extract sugars and, microbes are added to form ethanol.

Ethanol is one of the major component used in the process of making fuels for vehicles and aircrafts. The combustion of fuel from vehciles would release carbon emissions into the atmosphere, which is again observed by plants and tress completing the whole cycle of biofuel production

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main stages from plant growth through processing, sugar production and the addition of microbes, and you recognise the diagram’s circular carbon-dioxide cycle. However, the account is only partial: it does not clearly describe ethanol being used by cars, trucks and aircraft, or explain that carbon dioxide from these forms of transport returns to the plants. The opening is also incomplete, ending with “starting f”, and there is no clear, separate overview of the process’s key features. The response is 99 words, below the required 150, which limits how fully you can report the stages. To improve, give a concise overview and describe each major transition, including the transport and return stages, without adding unsupported claims such as ethanol being “one of the major component[s]” in fuel production.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: it moves from plant growth and harvesting to processing, then to ethanol use and the carbon cycle. The paragraph break also separates production from the later use of ethanol. However, the opening fragment, “The diagram shows nine steps cycle of making biofuel named ethanol.starting f”, interrupts the progression and makes the introduction difficult to follow. Connections between stages are often compressed into one long sentence, while “which” and “again” do not always make the relationships fully clear. Organise the report into an introduction and overview followed by logically grouped production and use/recycling stages. Use clear transitions such as “Next” or “Finally” sparingly, and ensure each sentence links one stage to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested”, “pre-processed”, “cellulose”, “processing”, “sugars” and “microbes”, which helps communicate the general sequence. The range is nevertheless limited, and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward: “plants observing energy” does not express the intended idea, “machinaries” is misspelled, and “carbon emissions” is less precise than the diagram’s repeated label “carbon dioxide”. “Major component” is also an imprecise description of ethanol’s role in the diagram. Aim for accurate process collocations such as “absorb energy”, “are converted into” and “is used as fuel”. Check spelling and choose terms that describe only what the visual shows.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both a sequence of linked clauses and a longer sentence describing the production stages, but the range is limited and errors are frequent enough to make parts difficult to read. The opening is incomplete and has faulty punctuation: “ethanol.starting f”. In “The process starts by, plants observing energy”, the comma is misplaced and the clause structure is not grammatical. There are also agreement and article errors in “one of the major component” and “the whole cycle”, while “which are later harvested” has an unclear reference. Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, for example, “Plants grow by absorbing sunlight and carbon dioxide. They are then harvested.” Review articles, plural forms and punctuation, and proofread each sentence for a complete grammatical structure.

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