Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-11

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 4.5)

The diagram below illustrates that how a biofuel called ethanol is produced

Ethanol produces with energy contains sunlight and carbon dioxide by which plants and trees grow then harvesting then It go from pre processing then it produce cellulose then It goes towards another processing method of sugars then we add microbes then aeroplane produce carbon dioxide then truck produce carbon dioxide and car produces carbon dioxide

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the subject as ethanol production and mention several relevant stages, including plant growth, harvesting, processing, sugars and the addition of microbes. However, the response only minimally summarises the diagram: it gives no clear overview of the circular nature of the process and omits key details, especially that ethanol is used by cars, trucks and aeroplanes and that the carbon dioxide released returns to support plant growth. Some relationships are also unclear, such as “Ethanol produces with energy.” The response is 67 words, below the required 150, so there is not enough development to report the main features adequately. Describe the stages in order and explain how the carbon dioxide completes the cycle.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows some of the process sequence, moving from plant growth through harvesting and processing to microbes and transport. This gives the reader a basic sense of the topic. However, nearly all the information is compressed into one sentence, with repeated “then” and “then it” rather than clear stages or paragraphing. The sequence becomes difficult to follow in “then it produce cellulose then It goes towards another processing method of sugars,” and the final transport details are listed without showing how they connect to the cycle. Use separate sentences for the growing and processing stages, fuel use, and carbon-dioxide return, with clear linking phrases such as “after this” and “finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “cellulose,” “microbes,” and “carbon dioxide,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or repetitive. “Another processing method of sugars” does not clearly express that processing produces sugars, while “Ethanol produces with energy” makes the relationship between ethanol and energy difficult to understand. “Produce” is also repeated for different stages and transport modes. Choose precise process verbs such as “is converted into,” “is processed to form,” and “is released,” and use “vehicles” as a concise term for the car, truck and aeroplane. This would make the description clearer and more appropriate for an academic process report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect several stages in a longer sentence, but grammatical control is limited and errors frequently make relationships unclear. For example, “The diagram below illustrates that how” uses an unnecessary “that,” and “Ethanol produces with energy” has an incorrect verb construction. In “then It produce cellulose,” the subject–verb form is incorrect, and the capitalisation of “It” mid-sentence is inconsistent. The response also relies on a chain of clauses joined by “then,” with little sentence variety or punctuation. Build accurate simple sentences first—for example, “Plants and trees grow using sunlight and carbon dioxide”—then connect stages with correctly formed passive structures such as “The plants are harvested.”

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.