Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

In the given figures their are multiple information given about how sugar is produced by processing sugar cane.

Overall the process of obtaining sugar from sugar cane is divided into 7 different categories.

At first the sugar cane is grown which takes the highest time in the manufacturing process which is near about 12 to 18 months, followed by the harvesting of the sugar canes which is loaded from the harvesting site and take to the location where the actual processing starts.

In the next process item is crushed by using a machine for the production of juice, the latter is then poured into limestone filter for the purpose of purification.

The purification is then evaporated under heat until the juice takes the form of a syrup like substance. At this point the manufacturing of sugar reaches up to the final processes in which the sugar crystals are separated from the syrup with the help of centrifuge. At last the obtained sugar is cooled and dried.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all main stages of the sugar manufacturing process, starting from the growth of sugar canes and ending with drying and cooling. An overview is provided, stating that the process is divided into seven distinct stages. The student correctly highlights the duration of the growing stage (12 to 18 months) and traces the subsequent steps including harvesting, crushing, juice purification using a limestone filter, evaporation into syrup, and separation via centrifuge. However, there are minor misinterpretations in the description, such as stating that the sugar cane is "loaded from the harvesting site and take to the location" (which is not depicted in the diagram) and referring to the purification step as being "evaporated under heat" rather than distinguishing the filter and evaporator stages clearly. Overall, the response addresses the prompt adequately, earning a band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows the chronological order of the diagram effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'At first', 'followed by', 'In the next process', and 'At last' are used to guide the reader through the stages. However, paragraphing is weak; the response is presented as a single body paragraph following the introduction, which limits the score for structural progression. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'the latter' and 'The purification is then evaporated', which creates slight confusion regarding whether it is the juice, the filter, or the process being heated. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, placing this criterion solidly at a band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting process-specific terms such as 'manufacturing process', 'harvesting', 'crushing', 'purification', 'syrup', and 'centrifuge'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text. For instance, 'their are multiple information given' contains a grammar/vocabulary slip ('information' is uncountable, and 'their' is used instead of 'there'), 'take' is used instead of 'taken', and 'item' is used instead of 'the cane' or 'it'. Furthermore, phrasing like 'takes the highest time' is unnatural compared to 'takes the longest time'. These limitations restrict the lexical score to a 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but it is marred by frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'their are multiple information given' (subject-verb agreement and spelling error), 'is loaded... and take' (tense inconsistency), 'In the next process item is crushed' (missing article), and 'The purification is then evaporated' (misuse of subject noun for the substance being heated). Punctuation is generally basic, and sentence structures lack advanced control. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of errors prevents the response from achieving a higher band, making a 5.0 appropriate.

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

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