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 process of manufacturing sugar from sugarcane starts from the growth of sugarcane crop, which takes almost 12-18 months, which is almost 1 and a half year. Then it's crop is harvested, using manmade heavy machinery and the laborious effort of farmers in sugarcane fields.

The crop is then crushed to prepare sugarcane juice, which is also sold in market and is consumed by people as it is very delicious and healthy. For making sugar, juice is purified in limestone filler and is cooked in an evaporator on high temperature, which initiates evaporation process of sugarcane juice. As the vapors are formed, the juice takes form of a syrup which is thick in consistency.

The syrup is poured into a centrifuge which separates the sugar crystals from the syrup through it's centrifugal force. Subsequently, the obtained sugar crystals are dried and cooled in a chamber and the final product is sugar crystals which are then sold in the market as the refined product.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, from growth to the final product. However, it lacks a clear overview or summary of the process as a whole, which is essential for a Band 7 or higher. Furthermore, the inclusion of subjective commentary—such as describing the juice as 'very delicious and healthy'—is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report, which requires an objective, analytical tone. While the key steps are identified, the response would benefit from a more formal structure that highlights the transformation stages rather than narrating them like a story.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. Cohesive devices such as 'Then', 'Subsequently', and 'As' are used to link ideas, though the flow is occasionally mechanical. The transition between the growth phase and the industrial processing phase is logical. However, the paragraphing could be improved; the second paragraph is quite dense and covers multiple distinct stages of the manufacturing process, which could be better separated to enhance clarity and logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'centrifuge', 'evaporator', and 'purified' used correctly. However, there are some issues with word choice and collocation. For instance, 'manmade heavy machinery' is slightly redundant, and 'limestone filler' is a specific technical term that should be used with precision. The inclusion of informal, evaluative language like 'delicious' is a significant stylistic error for this task type. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise, academic vocabulary to describe industrial processes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'it's crop is harvested' (incorrect use of 'it's' instead of 'its') and 'through it's centrifugal force'. Additionally, the phrase 'which is almost 1 and a half year' is grammatically awkward. While the meaning is generally clear, these recurring errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy in subject-verb agreement and possessive pronouns is recommended.

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

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