Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-20

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 ethanol fuel is produced from plants and trees

overall, it is evident that process consist of few main stages, begenning with pleats and trees grow and ending with produced carbon dioxide

initally, plants and trees grow with energy of sunlight from the atmosphere, when they grow up it get harvested. afterthat perprocessing is started wit

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the subject as ethanol production from plants and trees, and your overview recognises that the process has stages and ends with carbon dioxide. However, the account stops during the early stages and does not describe the key transformations into cellulose, sugars and ethanol, the addition of microbes, or the fuel’s use in transport. It also misses the cycle in which carbon dioxide returns to support plant growth. The overview is therefore too general to capture the main features, and the stages reported are not developed into a complete summary. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words. To improve, cover the full sequence and explain how the final carbon-dioxide emissions link back to plant growth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening identifies the diagram, an overview follows, and the final paragraph begins describing the process in sequence. Linking expressions such as “overall” and “when” help signal these functions. However, the progression ends abruptly at “afterthat perprocessing is started wit,” leaving the explanation incomplete and making the final connection between stages impossible to follow. The overview and process description are also very brief, with few links between the stages. Use separate, complete paragraphs for the overview and the sequence, then connect each stage with clear transitions such as “next,” “the resulting cellulose,” and “finally.” This would make the organisation more coherent and the relationships between steps clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant process vocabulary, including “ethanol,” “plants and trees,” “harvested,” and “carbon dioxide,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is very limited, and several inaccurate or incomplete forms make the description less clear, including “pleats” for “plants,” “perprocessing,” and the unfinished “wit.” Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “produced carbon dioxide,” which does not clearly describe the emissions and their return to plant growth. Build a wider set of accurate terms for the stages and materials shown, such as “pre-processing,” “cellulose,” “sugars,” “microbes,” and “fuel is used in transport.” Check spelling and choose precise process vocabulary before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both a simple opening statement and a longer sentence using “when,” showing some effort to vary sentence structure. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. For example, “process consist of few main stages” lacks an article and subject–verb agreement; “plants and trees grow with energy” has an unclear grammatical relationship; and “it get harvested” has incorrect agreement. The final sentence is incomplete, so its structure cannot be understood. Most of the response relies on short, basic clauses, and errors in verb forms, articles and sentence completion interfere with clarity. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and articles—for example, “The process consists of a few main stages” and “the plants are harvested.”

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