Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-22
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 ethanol's production is starts from the growing plants to add microbes.Farmers first sows sugar cane's seeds and grows plants then harvest the crops once they collect a sufficient amount of sugarcane they take that to the next step which is pre-processing to transform that into small particals.which leads to us into cellulose and then it goes into the labs for the process of making sugar.once the sugar made from the sugarcanes it is supposed to be added microbes to make ethanol.
since ethanol is in the high demand for transportation the companies sales ethanol in high prices.for the cars, buses,even the plans ethanol is the essantial to start the engine vehicals can only start or move when it hass fuel then vihicals cunsumes fuels and change into carbon dioxide.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The student attempts to describe the biofuel production process, mentioning stages such as growing plants, harvesting, pre-processing into small particles, cellulose, processing into sugar, and adding microbes to create ethanol. However, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, standing at only 130 words. Furthermore, the description includes irrelevant outside speculation about commercial demand, high prices, and vehicle mechanics ('vehicals cunsumes fuels and change into carbon dioxide') which are not the focus of an Academic Task 1 summary. The overall overview of the circular process is missing, and several stages are inaccurate or poorly described.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The text suffers from poor cohesion and inadequate paragraphing. The response is divided into two poorly constructed paragraphs with severe run-on sentences and punctuation errors, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters ('since ethanol is in the high demand...') and lacking full stops between distinct thoughts ('...transform that into small particals.which leads to us into cellulose...'). Logical progression is impeded by abrupt shifts and the inclusion of off-topic economic commentary. There is a lack of effective cohesive devices to guide the reader through the cyclical stages of the diagram.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The lexical resource is very basic and limited. The student relies on repetitive and elementary vocabulary such as 'plants', 'grows', 'sugar', and 'fuel'. There are also several lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'particals' instead of 'particles', 'sales ethanol in high prices' instead of 'sells ethanol at high prices', and 'essantial' instead of 'essential'. The vocabulary lacks the precision required for reporting scientific or technical processes in an Academic Task 1 response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. There are frequent and intrusive errors in basic grammar, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure, such as 'The ethanol's production is starts from...', 'Farmers first sows...', and 'once the sugar made from the sugarcanes it is supposed to be added microbes'. Punctuation is largely neglected, with missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences and comma splices or missing periods. Complex sentence structures are either absent or heavily flawed, restricting the writer mostly to faulty simple sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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