Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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 5.0)

The given chart represents the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane. Firstly a sugarcane was grown into a farm and take time to ready for 12-18 months after sugarcane was ready to harvest. Then a farmer harvesting the sugarcane crop and put into crushing machine.

Overall, the sugarcane juice was ready to prepare the purifying juice in limestone filter, then the juice put on the heat and sugarcane juice was evaporating and juice become into a syrup.

Then centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup and take a time to drying and cooling. After this process sugar is ready. After the sugar is dried sugar send into market wholesalers to sale it. So this is the overall process to make a sugar and create a sugar with farming, harvesting, crushing, purifying juice, evaporator, centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup, then drying and cooling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While the student identifies the main stages of the process, the description is somewhat repetitive and lacks a clear, professional overview. The summary of the process is fragmented, and the final paragraph merely lists steps rather than synthesising the information effectively. To improve, ensure you provide a clear introduction, a concise overview of the main stages, and detailed body paragraphs that describe the transformation of the product logically. The failure to reach the word count and the lack of a cohesive summary of the process stages limit the achievement of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into three short paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is mechanical and repetitive. The use of cohesive devices is limited to basic sequencing words like 'Firstly', 'Then', and 'After this'. The final paragraph is particularly disjointed, as it attempts to summarise the process by listing nouns and verbs without proper sentence structure or logical flow. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the lack of sophisticated linking words makes the text feel like a list of instructions rather than a coherent report of a process. Improving the variety of transition signals and ensuring each sentence flows naturally into the next is essential.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, relying heavily on words provided in the prompt (e.g., 'sugarcane', 'process', 'juice', 'sugar'). There is little evidence of a wider range of vocabulary or the ability to use less common items to describe technical stages. Phrases like 'take a time to ready' and 'put into crushing machine' are awkward and demonstrate a limited grasp of natural collocation. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise verbs and nouns related to industrial processes, such as 'extracted', 'refined', 'crystallised', and 'distributed', rather than repeating simple terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding article usage ('a sugarcane', 'the market'), verb tense consistency ('a sugarcane was grown', 'sugarcane juice was evaporating'), and sentence structure. Many sentences are simple or run-on, lacking the complexity required for higher bands. For example, 'So this is the overall process to make a sugar and create a sugar with farming...' is grammatically incorrect and lacks clarity. There is a lack of control over complex sentence structures, and the frequent errors in basic grammar and punctuation occasionally impede the reader's understanding of the process.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.