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 given sketch demonstrates the manufacturing process of converting sugar cane into sugar.

Following the picture at first stage growing plantation of sugar cane can be seen which normally take a time period of 12 to 18 months to grow. Similarly, harvesting process can be done at second stage with two ways, one method contains machine and another includes hand harvesting.

While crashing mechanism begins at third stage in a machine which convert it into purified juice at fourth stage. On other hand, at stage five it transfers the juice into evaporator to make it a syrup with the help of heat. Whereas sixth stage is for centrifuge in which sugar crystals are separated from syrup and the sugar send to the different specific area for drying and cooling temperature in small drum.

Comparatively, mechanism that comprises of conversion sugar cane into sugar is time taking and sensitive in nature. As the process has many stages where inflammatory nature of work is also a part of the system.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all stages of the process, from growing to the final product. However, the overview is missing; a summary of the main features (e.g., the cyclical nature or the transition from raw material to refined product) is essential for a higher band. The final paragraph introduces subjective commentary ('sensitive in nature', 'inflammatory nature of work') which is not present in the diagram and is therefore irrelevant to the task. To improve, focus strictly on reporting the visual data provided without adding external opinions or interpretations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized chronologically, which helps the reader follow the process. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, 'On other hand' is used incorrectly as there is no contrast being made between the evaporator and the previous stage. Paragraphing is also weak; the entire body is essentially one block, making it difficult to distinguish between the distinct phases of the manufacturing process. Using clearer transition signals and better paragraph breaks would improve the flow significantly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate to describe the process, but there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors. For example, 'crashing mechanism' should be 'crushing', and 'inflammatory nature of work' is an incorrect use of vocabulary in this context. The phrase 'take a time period' is wordy and could be simplified. While the student attempts to use process-related terms like 'centrifuge' and 'evaporator', the overall range is limited, and the errors occasionally distract from the clarity of the description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentences, but grammatical errors are frequent. There are issues with article usage ('at second stage' should be 'at the second stage'), subject-verb agreement ('one method contains' is acceptable, but 'sugar send' should be 'sugar is sent'), and prepositional errors. The sentence structure is often clunky, such as 'one method contains machine and another includes hand harvesting'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band.

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

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