Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-01

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 process diagram illustrates how to produce ethanol from biofuel.

Overall, there are 9 steps included. it is a linear circle process furthermore, starting are sunlight and carbon dioxide and ending with ethanol.

Firstly, sunlight and carbon dioxide are added after plants and trees are grown. Furthermore, plants are cultivated and collected. while, plants is collected into maschine and the maschine cut into small pieces and here system is preprocessed then sent to teh cerllulose. labortries are added some chemicals and after sent int the sugar Following that sugar here mirobe are added aftr that sent ointo the ethanol and here 3 ways is reapated again this processa and this process copntinue

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the topic as ethanol production and mention several relevant stages, including plant growth, harvesting, pre-processing, sugars, microbes and ethanol. However, the account is incomplete and contains important inaccuracies: sunlight and carbon dioxide enable plants to grow; they are not added after growth, as your opening sequence suggests. The diagram also shows carbon dioxide released when ethanol is used by cars, trucks and aircraft, then returned to the plants, but this central cycle is not clearly explained. The overview calls the process “linear” while also calling it a circle, and says it ends with ethanol. The response is also below the required 150 words. To improve, give an accurate overview and describe the full cycle, including transport use and carbon dioxide returning to plant growth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to present the stages in sequence, using “Firstly,” “Furthermore,” and “Following that,” and the response has a separate opening and overview. These features give the reader some sense of progression. However, the sequence becomes difficult to follow in the long middle passage, where several stages are joined together without clear sentence boundaries. The ending, “and this process continue,” does not clearly complete the explanation, and the reference to “3 ways” is not connected explicitly to the transport modes or the carbon cycle. The overview also gives conflicting descriptions (“linear” and “circle”). Use one stage per sentence or group related stages into paragraphs, and use clear links to show how the cycle returns to its beginning.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “preprocessed,” “cellulose,” “sugar,” and “ethanol,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is basic and several words are repeated or inaccurately formed, which makes parts of the process hard to understand. Examples include “maschine,” “teh cerllulose,” “labortries,” and “mirobe.” Some choices are also imprecise: “added” does not clearly describe the role of sunlight and carbon dioxide, and “3 ways” is too vague for the car, truck and aeroplane. Aim for accurate process terms and specific labels, such as “transport modes,” “converted into,” and “carbon dioxide is released.” Proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sequences, but control of sentence structure is limited. Several clauses are joined without a clear grammatical relationship, as in “plants is collected into maschine and the maschine cut into small pieces,” while “starting are sunlight” and “this process continue” show problems with verb forms and agreement. The overview also begins “it is a linear circle process,” which is not a complete, clear sentence. Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, including the lowercase “it” after a full stop and the run-on final passage. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and tense. For example: “The plants are harvested and pre-processed before the cellulose is converted into sugars.”

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