Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-12
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 diagram displays the information about how sugar is produced from sugar cane.
Overall, it can be seen that the manufacturing process is involves in seven different steps. It starts with the growing of sugar cane and finishes with producing the sugar.
Talking about the first four steps, first of all people growing the sugar cane within 12 to 18 months, but after ripping the sugar cane then people harvesting the sugar cane plants with hands and machines. After finishing the harvesting, the sugar cane is crushing in machine and produced the sugar cane juice.
When sugar cane is produced then juice purifies into the limestone filter. After completing the purifying process then juice heat with fire and juice become a syrup. In the six stages the centrifuge is used for separating sugar crystais from syrup. In the last steps the sugar crystais is drying and cooling and produced the sugar.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses the main features of the sugar production process. The student identifies the seven main steps of the diagram, beginning with the growing phase and concluding with the cooling and drying of sugar crystals. Key stages such as harvesting, crushing, purifying with a limestone filter, heating, and separation via a centrifuge are all noted. However, the explanation remains somewhat descriptive rather than analytical, lacking a clear overview of the cyclical or mechanical nature of the process. While all parts of the task are addressed, the development of ideas is basic, which places this performance at Band 5.5 to 6.0. Given the solid coverage of the overall sequence without major omissions, a band score of 6.0 is appropriate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is arranged logically with a basic overall structure. The student attempts to organise the text by grouping stages, using transition phrases such as 'Overall', 'Talking about the first four steps', and 'In the last steps'. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, with several ideas crammed into a single block of text. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical and repetitive, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'In the six stages' instead of 'At the sixth stage'. Despite these flaws, the progression is discernible, and the text maintains a coherent overall arrangement. These features align closely with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms directly from the prompt, such as 'sugar cane', 'crushing', 'juice', 'limestone filter', and 'centrifuge'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and morphological errors throughout the response, such as 'manufacturing process is involves' instead of 'involves', 'people growing' instead of 'people grow', and 'sugar crystais' (spelling error). The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive, with frequent reliance on basic verbs. These limitations restrict the score to a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors that interfere with readability, such as 'process is involves', 'after ripping the sugar cane then people harvesting', and 'juice heat with fire and juice become a syrup'. Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are poorly maintained across multiple sentences (shifting between present, past, and incorrect progressive/passive forms). Because errors are frequent and often cause difficulty for the reader, the writing fits the Band 5.0 descriptor profile.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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