Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-01

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 illustration demonstrate the production of sugar by using sugar cane.

Overall, it contains 7 stages, the main stages are harvesting, filtering waste material, drying and cooling.

First of all, the farmers put seeds on the soil and it approximately takes 12 to 18 month. When the crops are fully ripe farmers cut it down. Then the process of harvesting occurred by the help of different machines or tools.

After cutting the sugar canes were go through the machine where juice were separated. We take the funnel where limestone filtration net is placed and it separates tiny particles from it. The purified juice is now put into the large steel box and enclosed and heat is on and evaporation process occurred and now juice is converted into sugar syrup.

At the end, the centrifuge process occur and in this process the remaining sugar crystals are separated from syrup. Then we put crystals into large container and the process of drying and cooling happened.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, but the overview is slightly inaccurate as it lists 'harvesting' as a stage of the manufacturing process itself, whereas it is a precursor. The description of the steps is generally clear, but some details are under-developed or slightly inaccurate, such as the description of the 'funnel' and 'steel box'. To improve, ensure that the overview focuses on the transformation of the raw material into the final product and maintain a more objective, technical tone throughout the report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'Then', 'After', 'At the end'). The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother to create a more cohesive flow. Paragraphing is present, but the division of ideas could be more balanced to better reflect the distinct phases of the manufacturing process.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There is a reliance on basic verbs like 'put', 'take', and 'go through'. While some technical terms like 'centrifuge' and 'evaporation' are used correctly, the overall range is limited. There are also minor issues with word choice, such as 'the process of harvesting occurred', which is slightly unnatural in this context. Expanding your range of process-related verbs and nouns would significantly improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. Several errors in subject-verb agreement and tense usage are present, such as 'The illustration demonstrate', 'sugar canes were go through', and 'juice were separated'. Additionally, the use of articles is occasionally missing or incorrect. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall clarity and professionalism of the writing.

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

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