Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-20

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

How sugar is produced from sugar cane

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The diagram illustrates how sugar is manufactured from sugar cane.

Overall, the sugar cane go through a series of seven stages before it is tranformed into sugar. The process begin with planting sugar cane and harvesting it after 12 to 18 months, followed by crushing, purifying, evaporating, separating, drying and cooling.

Firstly, sugar canes are planted and have to wait at least 12-18 months to be harvested. After sugar canes finish growing, it will be harvested by farmers using hand or modern combine harvester machine. After being harvested, the sugar canes is crushed to produce juice. The juice is then went through limestone filter to purified the juice before using evapator to heat the juice into syrup.

After this, sugar crystals are separated from syrup using centrifuge machine. Finally sugar crystals are dried and cooled to tranform into sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main stages of the sugar production process, but it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While the overview is present and the key steps are identified, the description lacks the depth and detail required for a higher band. The process is described in a linear fashion, but there is a lack of comparative analysis or synthesis of the information. Because the response is under-length, it cannot be considered fully developed, leading to a lower score in this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of the process. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'After this', and 'Finally' are used to link the stages. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'it' when referring to plural 'sugar canes'. While the overall structure is coherent, the limited length prevents a more sophisticated use of cohesive devices and paragraph development, keeping the score in the mid-range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, covering technical terms like 'harvested', 'crushing', 'purifying', and 'centrifuge'. However, there are several errors in word form and choice, such as 'tranformed' (transformed), 'evapator' (evaporator), and 'purified' (purify). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and the errors in spelling and word formation are noticeable. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise terminology and ensuring correct word forms throughout the description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'sugar cane go' (goes), 'process begin' (begins), and 'sugar canes is' (are). Additionally, there are tense inconsistencies, such as 'juice is then went through' (should be 'is passed through'). These errors are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader, although the overall meaning remains clear.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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