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 how ethanol which is a biofuel is produced.

Overall, biofuel production happens in a cyclic way.

First of all, the plants absorb energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide from atmosphere. As a result, plants and trees grow. After that, people do harvesting and start ethanol production. They do pre-processing and distinguish cellulose from the crops that harvested. After the processing, people make sugars from cellulose and add microbes to those sugars. According to that, ethanol produces.

Humans use ethanol as a biofuel for various types of transportations such as cars, trucks and aeroplanes. But, burning ethanol produces carbon dioxide as a product. Consequently, those carbon dioxide release to the atmosphere and finally, the plants and trees reabsorb them.

Because of this reabsorbation, using biofuels reduces the air pollution in a certain way. The amount of carbon dioxide which releases by using ethanol as a fuel is equal to the amount of reabsorbed carbon dioxide by the trees.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages, from plant growth and harvesting through processing, sugar production, the addition of microbes and the use of ethanol in transport. The overview correctly identifies the process as cyclical, and you also report the return of carbon dioxide to the plants. This gives the account a solid factual foundation. Some details, however, are less fully or precisely described: “distinguish cellulose” is not quite the same as showing that pre-processing produces cellulose, and the diagram does not state that the carbon dioxide released equals the amount reabsorbed. The claim that biofuels reduce air pollution is also an interpretation rather than a feature shown. To strengthen the response, describe the stages and cycle closely, without adding unsupported conclusions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by the production stages and then the fuel’s use and carbon cycle. Time and sequence markers such as “First of all,” “After that,” and “Consequently” help the reader follow the process. However, some links are mechanical or unclear. “According to that” does not clearly express the relationship between adding microbes and producing ethanol, while “But” introduces a contrast that is not really present. The final paragraph also shifts from describing the diagram to making a conclusion about pollution and carbon balance. Use more precise links and keep each paragraph focused on the stages or cycle it describes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “reabsorb,” which helps communicate the subject. There is some variety in how you describe the stages, but several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise: “do harvesting,” “distinguish cellulose,” “transportations,” and “reabsorbation.” “Carbon dioxide” is also repeated frequently, though some repetition is unavoidable in this topic. Aim for accurate process verbs and natural technical phrasing, such as “harvest the crops,” “extract cellulose,” and “modes of transport.” More precise vocabulary would make the account clearer and more fluent without requiring unnecessarily complex terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures such as “As a result” and “Because of this.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “ethanol produces” needs a passive form (“ethanol is produced”), and “those carbon dioxide release” has an agreement and verb-form problem; the gas should be treated as uncountable and the sentence needs a passive construction. In “the crops that harvested,” the relative clause is missing a verb form such as “were harvested.” Articles and prepositions also need attention in “from atmosphere.” Practise passive forms, which are especially useful for process descriptions, and check agreement and clause structure.

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.