Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19

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 4.0)

The diagram illustrates, how biofuel made that is called ethanol.

Overall, the cyclic process of production of ethanol that contains in several steps from plants and trees grow to carbon dioxide.

First of all, plants and trees are grow in a feild and harvested them by using machines, moving on, the harvested material is passed through from pre-processing step. This step held my machines. Moreover, next step is cellulose after pre-processing where it is used

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.5

The response falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 75 words and stopping abruptly mid-sentence ("where it is used"). Because of this severe under-length and incomplete development, the task cannot be fully addressed. While the student attempts to introduce the process ("The diagram illustrates, how biofuel made that is called ethanol") and mentions initial stages like plants growing, harvesting, pre-processing, and cellulose, the lack of completion heavily penalises the overall task achievement score in line with official descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The text demonstrates some basic organisational attempts using transition markers such as "First of all", "moving on", and "Moreover". However, due to the extreme brevity of the text, logical progression is severely disrupted. Paragraphing is not properly established, and the response ends prematurely in the middle of a sentence, leading to a breakdown in overall cohesion and coherence. Referencing is basic and mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive ("plants and trees", "step", "harvested"). There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as "biofuel made that is called ethanol" and "This step held my machines" (likely intended as 'held by machines' or 'done by machines'). The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for very basic sentences, but insufficient to convey precise academic meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. There are several noticeable errors in grammar and sentence structure, such as "The diagram illustrates, how biofuel made..." (unnecessary comma and missing verb components) and "plants and trees are grow in a feild" (incorrect verb form and spelling). The response breaks off entirely before completing the final sentence, demonstrating poor control over complex forms.

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

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