FRANKFURT, Jan 20 (Reuters) - German chemicals giant BASF said operating income saw a better-than-expected gain during the fourth quarter, driven by strong business at its Materials, Chemicals and Industrial Solutions divisions.

Quarterly earnings before interest and tax, adjusted for one-off items, rose 32% to 1.11 billion euros ($1.35 billion), beating market consensus and slightly above the highest analyst estimate, BASF said in an unscheduled statement, citing preliminary figures.

($1 = 0.8228 euros) (Reporting by Ludwig Burger; editing by Thomas Seythal)