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)

The given diagram demonstrates the different stages of producing sugar from sugar canes.

Overall, the process includes seven stages. Starting with growing the sugar canes to drying and cooling the sugar.

Initially, the sugar canes take twelve to eithtenn months to grow. After harvesting them handly or with a tractor, they get crushed and turned into juice. Using a limestone filter, the juice subsequently gets filtered and purified. Then we evaporate the juice in order to get a syrup that w olace in a centrifuge to seperate it from sugar crystals. Finally, we drie and cool the sugar obtained.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student has attempted to summarise the diagram illustrating the seven stages of sugar production from sugar cane. A clear overview is provided, noting the total number of stages from growing to drying and cooling. Main features such as the 12 to 18 months growth period, harvesting methods, crushing, juice purification via a limestone filter, evaporation into syrup, centrifugation, and final drying are touched upon. However, the response is severely under-length, containing only 99 words compared to the required 150-word minimum. This significantly limits the degree of development and means key details are only briefly mentioned rather than fully reported. Consequently, this penalises the task achievement score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a logical overall progression, following the chronological steps of the manufacturing process from start to finish. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'subsequently', 'Then', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the sequence of stages. Paragraphing, however, is very weak, with the entire body of text lumped into an introduction-like block and two very short paragraphs. Referencing is mostly clear, though the short length prevents a more sophisticated structural flow or richer organizational framework from being demonstrated. Overall, the arrangement is coherent enough to follow the sequence clearly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student employs a reasonable range of vocabulary relevant to the process, including words like 'manufacturing', 'crushed', 'purified', 'evaporate', 'syrup', 'centrifuge', and 'crystals'. There are, however, several noticeable spelling errors ('eithtenn' instead of eighteen, 'handly' instead of by hand, 'w olace' instead of we place or which we place, and 'drie' instead of dry), alongside awkward word choices. While these lexical slips and errors do not completely obscure the overall meaning, they constrain the lexical score to the lower-middle bands due to inaccuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as participial phrases ('Starting with growing...') and adverbial clauses. There are, nevertheless, several grammatical and mechanical errors throughout the text, including punctuation errors and run-on fragments (e.g., 'Starting with growing the sugar canes to drying and cooling the sugar'). Furthermore, spelling mistakes and typographical errors interfere with grammatical precision in places. The frequency of these errors places the text firmly in the band 5.5 range, as control over complex structures remains inconsistent.

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

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