Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-22

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 illustrate the process of making sugar from sugar cane .

overall, there are seven stages in the process beginning with growing of sugar cane and culminating in drying and cooling sugar.

First of all, farmer plant sugar cane tree in his farm with take 12 to 18 months to grow up . after this process farmer cultivate the plants either by his own hands or take the help of harvesting machines. Moving further, the cultivated sugar can is crushed in machine and converted into juice .

In the next stage, the process of purification begin in which juice is purified in limestone filter. Now juice is ready to go through the process of evaporator in which filtered juice is heat up and converted into syrup. in next step sugar crystals are getting seperate from syrup with the process pf centrifuge. Finally, putting sugar syrup in a container and keep it to get dry and cool.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the sugar production process, from cultivation to the final drying phase. However, the overview is somewhat simplistic, and the description of the stages lacks the necessary detail to fully explain the process. For instance, the transition between the centrifuge and the final product is described vaguely. While the main features are identified, the response would benefit from a more analytical approach, such as highlighting the transformation of the raw material into the final product more clearly. The summary is present but could be more comprehensive to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into a logical sequence, following the steps of the diagram. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire body of the report is contained within a single block, which hinders readability. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'First of all', 'Moving further', and 'In the next stage', they are somewhat mechanical. The flow between sentences is generally clear, but the lack of paragraph breaks makes the text feel like a list of steps rather than a cohesive report. Improving the structure by grouping related stages would significantly enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. There are several instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'sugar cane tree' (sugar cane is a grass) and 'grow up' (which is informal). The spelling of 'seperate' (separate) and 'pf' (of) are minor errors. While the student successfully uses technical terms like 'evaporator', 'purification', and 'centrifuge', the overall range is limited. To achieve a higher score, the student should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring accurate spelling and collocation throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The diagram illustrate', 'farmer plant', 'process begin') and incorrect verb forms ('is heat up', 'getting seperate'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several missing capital letters at the start of sentences and unnecessary spaces before periods. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors indicates a lack of control over complex sentence structures, keeping the score in the mid-range.

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