Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-11

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 displays the production process for processing sugar cane into sugar.

Overall, The making of sugar consist if seven stages. whereas, the process begin with growing sugarcane and concludes with sugar.

Firstly, the process begins with growing sugar canes in farms, which would take 12-18 month period. secondly, it goes through harvesting by cutting the sugar canes manually and after sugar cane going through the machine it sort the sugar cane stem and the leaf of the sugar cane separately.

However, the separated sugar can goes into crushing to get a juice. To purify juice, the juice get through the limestone filter to get purifying juice and then the purified juice shifted into a evaporator to get syrup from heating the juice and then the syrup get processed into a centrifuge, where it separates sugar crystals from syrup and finally, it is dried and cooled. so, to get a final product of sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all stages of the process, from growing the sugar cane to the final product. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it simply states the number of stages rather than highlighting the key transformation phases. While the main features are identified, the description of the process is occasionally repetitive and lacks a sophisticated summary of the transformation. The inclusion of specific details like the 12-18 month period is good, but the overall structure could be more analytical to better meet the requirements for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally misused, such as the phrase 'whereas, the process begin' which does not function correctly as a transition. The transition between the harvesting and the crushing stages is also slightly abrupt. While there is a logical progression from start to finish, the flow is hindered by awkward sentence starters and punctuation errors, such as the lowercase 'the' at the beginning of sentences and the misuse of 'so' to conclude the final sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the reader to understand the process. You have used some relevant technical terms like 'evaporator', 'centrifuge', and 'sugar crystals'. However, there is a lack of variety and some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'get purifying juice' and 'get a juice', which are repetitive and informal. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise verbs and avoid the repetitive use of 'get' or 'making'. The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'process begin', 'juice get'), incorrect verb forms ('the juice get through'), and inconsistent capitalization at the start of sentences. These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of control over basic grammatical structures prevents a higher score. More attention to verb tenses and sentence punctuation is needed to improve clarity and accuracy.

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

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