Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-16

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 given diagram illustrates the how ethanol is produced by biofuel

Overall, it is evident from graph that there is eight steps for ethanol made

Getting in to details, energy prodece by sunlight and carbon dioxide .firstly planting crops which help to make ethanol then after some time harvesting the crops. Secondly crops send into pre processing machine which helps to make seed and find cellulose from pre processing. After find cellulose from plant cell walls .it send to in processing with chemicals its helps to make ethanol .

Then processing complete celluose formed sugars .it formation added in some microbes and last the ethanol is made and by the help of Ethanol biofuel is formed which is used in various vhecile like airplane, truck ,car these vehicle to abandon carbon dioxide which is harm for world .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the process of ethanol production shown in the diagram, identifying key stages such as planting, harvesting, pre-processing, and processing. However, the student failed to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, writing only 138 words. Additionally, the overview is extremely basic ('there is eight steps for ethanol made'), and the description misses some important cyclical elements, such as the absorption of carbon dioxide by plants and the emissions from vehicles forming a continuous loop. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, leading to a lower band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The text attempts to organise information sequentially using transition words like 'firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Then'. However, the paragraphing is extremely poor, with almost the entire response crammed into a single, dense block of text following a single-sentence introduction. Furthermore, referencing and logical progression are frequently disrupted by broken syntax and unclear connections between sentences, such as 'After find cellulose from plant cell walls .it send to in processing'. Cohesive devices are mechanical and often inaccurate, resulting in a text that lacks overall cohesion and clear progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, with frequent word-formation errors and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'energy prodece by sunlight', 'abandon carbon dioxide', 'harm for world'). The student attempts some topic-specific terms from the diagram such as 'cellulose', 'microbes', and 'pre-processing', but struggles to use them accurately in context. Spelling errors like 'vhecile' for vehicle also detract from the quality of the writing. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for conveying basic meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences contain severe structural flaws, missing verbs, or incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'the given diagram illustrates the how ethanol is produced by biofuel', 'crops send into pre processing machine'). Punctuation is also handled poorly, with random spacing and missing full stops. There are frequent grammatical errors that distort meaning and cause significant difficulty for the reader.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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