Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-30

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 the process by which, ethanol is made out

Overral, the process consists of many main stages begining with energy of the sun and air and ending with biofuel that called ethanol

Initially, we need to energy(sunlight+carbon dioxide) taken from plants and treets this is followed by harvesting subsequently pre-processing that make cellulose

In the next stage cellulose is processed followed this, sugars to microbes added

finnaly ethanol there by completing the process

needed by cars, plans and truckes to burn carbon dioxide

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 85 words. Consequently, the description of the biofuel production process is severely limited and incomplete. While the student attempts to outline the cycle from energy capture and plant growth to harvesting, cellulose pre-processing, and ethanol conversion, the explanation lacks detail, misses key relationships such as the carbon dioxide loop, and remains heavily under-developed. In accordance with the band descriptors, an under-length response that only minimally addresses the prompt cannot achieve a score above Band 4.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The text lacks proper paragraphing and cohesive structure, presenting a single, disjointed block of text. Although transitional markers like 'Initially', 'subsequently', and 'finnaly' are attempted, they are misused grammatically and fail to create a clear logical progression. Referencing between stages is weak, and sentences frequently break down mid-thought, such as 'needed by cars, plans and truckes to burn carbon dioxide'. Overall, the arrangement of information is difficult to follow, aligning closely with the Band 4 descriptor for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is extremely basic and repetitive, with frequent spelling errors such as 'Overral', 'begining', 'treets', and 'finnaly'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to discuss the technical process effectively, relying on simplistic phrasings like 'made out' and 'taken from plants'. While some domain-specific terms from the prompt such as 'cellulose', 'sugars', and 'ethanol' are included, they are integrated into ungrammatical and unnatural collocations. This performance reflects a Band 4.0 level for Lexical Resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

Grammatical control is very weak throughout the response. There is an almost complete absence of correct, complex sentence structures, and basic sentence boundaries are frequently violated, as seen in fragments like 'needed by cars, plans and truckes to burn carbon dioxide'. Errors in word form, prepositions, and verb clauses are pervasive and constantly impede communication. Because the majority of sentences contain serious structural errors, the response earns a Band 4.0 for Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

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