Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-16

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 5.0)

The diagram illustrates the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the most striking trend shows growing sugar canes around 18 months. while other

Regarding sugar canes, firstly they main important work is that Growing Sugar canes which takes at least time 12 to 18 months. furthermore, the second step, harvesting there have a two types of harvesting one through machine and other one is hand craft. Then, the third step is that, crushing means that convert the sugar canes into juice through juice machine. Then fourth step that purifying the juice, through limestone filter. Then fifth step that, evaporator the juice becomes syrup through heat machine. In the six step, centrifuge that means separates sugar crystals from syrup. And lastly drying and cooling them then sugar can juice are ready.

In conclusion, the figure tells us that how to process of sugar juice which are disturbing in market. And they have 7 step to making a sugar cane juice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to summarise the diagram illustrating the sugar cane manufacturing process, covering all seven main stages from growing to drying and cooling. An overview is attempted at the beginning and end, mentioning the duration and the total number of steps. However, the response suffers from significant weaknesses in task completion. The second sentence is incomplete and fragmented ('Overall, the most striking trend shows growing sugar canes around 18 months. while other'). Furthermore, the level of detail is very basic, and the explanation of certain steps is overly reliant on copying text directly from the prompt labels rather than paraphrasing effectively. While the core information is present, the lack of well-developed descriptions and the broken sentence structure limit the overall task fulfilment, placing it firmly in Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organised into three brief paragraphs, including an introduction, a body paragraph detailing the process, and a conclusion. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive and mechanical use of cohesive devices, particularly the over-reliance on words like 'Then' and 'furthermore' at the start of consecutive sentences (e.g., 'Then, the third step is that...', 'Then fourth step that...', 'Then fifth step that...'). Additionally, referencing is unclear in places, such as in the conclusion where phrases like 'sugar juice which are disturbing in market' lack clear antecedents or logical connection to the preceding text. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion of the main body paragraph is weak, resulting in a Band 5 performance for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is extremely basic and repetitive, frequently lifting terms directly from the prompt (e.g., 'sugar cane', 'juice', 'limestone filter', 'evaporator', 'centrifuge'). There are noticeable lexical and word-formation errors throughout the response, such as 'hand craft' instead of 'by hand', 'evaporator the juice' instead of 'evaporating the juice', and the confusing phrase 'sugar juice which are disturbing in market'. The range of vocabulary is limited and inadequate for expressing the process with precision or flexibility. These persistent inaccuracies and lack of lexical variety lead to a Band 4.5, rounded to Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is severely restricted, consisting predominantly of simple sentences or heavily flawed attempts at complex structures. There are frequent, intrusive grammatical errors that impede comprehension, such as missing verbs, incorrect word forms, and sentence fragments ('Overall, the most striking trend shows growing sugar canes around 18 months. while other'). Other notable errors include 'harvesting there have a two types of harvesting' and 'the figure tells us that how to process of sugar juice'. Punctuation is also problematic, with incorrect capitalization and comma splices. Because errors are frequent and often cause difficulty for the reader, the response meets the criteria for Band 4.0.

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

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