Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-21
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 chart demonstrates the production steps for creating sugar from sugar cane
Overall, it is evident that that process starts with growing sugar cane and ends with the production of sugar. In this overall process there are seven steps to produce sugar.
To begin with the growth of sugar cane it takes between 12 to 18 months for fully ready to harvested and harvesting can be done by hands or by machine that are especially made for this work. After that, the sugar cane undergo crushing and extracting the juice from cane from crushing machine. Furthermore, the juice goes on limestone filter to filter the juice and extract the remaining small piece of cane that came after crushing.
Additionally, the purified juice is bring for evaporator where the juice becomes syrup by heating. And by centrifuge process sugar crystals was separated from syrup and that goes for final process drying and cooling after this the sugar was ready.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all seven main stages of the sugar manufacturing process, starting from growing sugar cane and ending with drying and cooling the final product. The overview provided in the second paragraph correctly outlines the starting and ending points as well as the total number of steps. Key features such as the 12 to 18 months growing period, manual and mechanical harvesting, crushing, juice purification via a limestone filter, evaporation into syrup, and centrifugal separation of sugar crystals are all accurately reported. The information is fully grounded in the visual data without significant omissions or inventions, satisfying the requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 6.5 to 7.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically and follows the chronological flow of the diagram. Progression is generally clear, guided by sequential signposts such as "To begin with", "After that", "Furthermore", and "Additionally". Paragraphing is attempted, splitting the introduction, overview, and body steps, though the body paragraphs are somewhat dense and could be broken down further. Cohesive devices are used, but some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical, such as "the purified juice is bring for evaporator" and "and that goes for final process". Overall, the organisation is coherent enough to follow easily, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a process description, using appropriate technical terms from the prompt such as "harvesting", "crushing", "limestone filter", "evaporator", "syrup", "centrifuge", and "sugar crystals". However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, including "for fully ready to harvested" instead of 'until fully ready to be harvested', "the juice is bring for evaporator" instead of 'brought to the evaporator', and "final process" instead of 'final stage'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical control is inconsistent, placing this response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and prepositional phrases. However, grammatical accuracy is weak due to frequent structural errors and awkward phrasing. Examples include "it is evident that that process starts" (repetition), "machine that are especially made" (subject-verb agreement), "the sugar cane undergo crushing" (singular/plural mismatch), and "sugar crystals was separated" (passive voice error). Punctuation is also sparse, particularly with run-on sentences in the final paragraph. Because these errors occasionally impede smooth reading and require mental correction, the grammar score reflects a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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