Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-05

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 how biofuel, known as ethanol, is produced.

Overall, five steps are involved in making biofuel, at harvesting to ethanol like pre-processing then cellulose, and further processing and added sugars and microbes then use for transportation.

Firstly, the energy from the sunlight and Co2 is helps to grow the plants and trees, then the harvesting start. After that, plants and trees go through the pre-processing where it's converted into cellulose then further processing started then it became sugars in sugars microbes are added to produce for ethanol.

This ethanol was used in different automobiles for transprotion. These vehicles release the carbon dioxide, and this CO2 then goes into our atmospheres and this cycles start again.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the subject and give a broad overview of the cycle, including plant growth, processing, ethanol use in transport, and carbon dioxide returning to the plants. However, the overview is unclear and inaccurate in saying there are “five steps”; the diagram shows a sequence of stages within a cycle. Some key details are omitted or confused: sugars are produced before microbes are added, and the diagram shows ethanol used by a car, truck, and aeroplane. The response is also below the required 150 words, so the process is only partially reported and several stages receive little explanation. To improve, describe the stages in order, distinguish processing from fermentation by microbes, and make the cycle’s carbon-dioxide link explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall sequence, moving from plant growth through production to transport and the return of carbon dioxide. Paragraph breaks also separate the introduction, overview, and process description. However, progression is weakened by the unclear overview (“at harvesting to ethanol”) and by the run-on sequence “then further processing started then it became sugars in sugars microbes are added.” Linking words such as “Firstly,” “After that,” and “then” are used, but they are repetitive and do not always clarify the relationship between stages. Use one clear paragraph for the overview and another for the ordered process, with precise links such as “Next,” “Following this,” and “Finally,” and ensure each sentence expresses one main stage.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “carbon dioxide,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or awkward: “added sugars and microbes” muddles the order and meaning, while “used in different automobiles for transprotion” is imprecise. There are also spelling errors, including “transprotion,” and informal wording such as “this cycles start again.” Aim for accurate process collocations and consistent terminology, for example, “the sugars are fermented by microbes” and “the resulting ethanol is used as fuel for transport.” This would make the description clearer and more appropriate for an academic process report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect stages in longer sentences, but control is inconsistent, and several errors make the process difficult to follow. Examples include “the energy from the sunlight and Co2 is helps,” where the verb form is faulty, and “the harvesting start,” where subject–verb agreement is missing. In “where it's converted into cellulose,” the pronoun reference is unclear, and “then it became sugars” shifts tense and has an unclear subject. The final sentence, “this cycles start again,” also has agreement and article problems. Use the present simple consistently for a process, check singular and plural agreement, and divide long chains of stages into shorter sentences. A wider range of accurately controlled sentence patterns is needed.

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