Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17
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 given below figure gives the information about the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.
In seven steps the sugar is made from sugar cane. It start from growing and ends on drying and cooling.
First of all, It starts from growing the sugar cane which tooks 12-18 months to grow completely. Then the second step is harvesting, It basicaly consists on two types like some harvests with hands and some with machines. Then third step is crushing, In which sugar cane was drown in machine which make it's juice. The fourth step is purifying juice, With the help of limestone filter they purify the juice of sugar cane. The fifth step is evaporator, In which juice is heated and the juice become syrup. The sixth step is centrifuge, In this step from the syrup the sugar crystals were separated. The final step is drying and cooling, in which the pure from of sugar cane juice was converted into sugar by the help of drying and cooling it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully covers all stages of the sugar manufacturing process, starting from growing and harvesting through to drying and cooling. The main features are reported, such as the duration of the growing phase (12-18 months), the dual methods of harvesting (manual and mechanical), and the subsequent transformation stages (crushing, purifying, evaporating, centrifuging, and drying). However, the response lacks a clear, cohesive overall summary or overview paragraph, which is essential for a Band 7+ score in Academic Task 1. Some descriptions are slightly mechanical and rely heavily on the prompt's language without significant rephrasing or synthesis.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised sequentially, tracking the steps of the diagram from beginning to end. However, the paragraphing is very weak; the body paragraph is excessively long and lists every single step consecutively ('First of all... Then the second step... Then third step... The fourth step...'). This repetitive and mechanical use of transition markers creates a 'list-like' feel rather than a fluidly structured report. Cohesive devices are over-used in a rigid manner, and the lack of a proper introduction and overview paragraph hinders logical progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate to describe the basic steps of the process, featuring terms like 'manufacturing process', 'sugar cane', 'limestone filter', 'evaporator', and 'centrifuge'. However, there are numerous lexical and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'The given below figure', 'tooks' instead of 'takes', 'consists on', 'drown in machine', 'make it's juice', and 'pure from of sugar'. These errors demonstrate a limited control over word formation and prepositions, placing the response firmly in the Band 5 category for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, including tense inconsistencies and subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'It start', 'tooks', 'some harvests', 'sugar cane was drown', 'juice become syrup'). Punctuation and capitalization are also erratic (e.g., mid-sentence capital letters like 'It basicaly'). While the meaning is generally understandable despite these errors, the high frequency of inaccurate simple and complex forms prevents the response from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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