Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-22

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 process diagram illustrates the process of production of sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, this process involved the 7 steps to produce the sugar , from growing sugar cane to suagr in the last step drying and cooling.

In the first step, sugare cane is cultivated in the field, it taked about 12 to 18 months to fully growth. In th second steps, crops of sugar cane, it ready to harvest by machines or farmers.In the third step, sugar can is crushed by crusing machine, and then sugar cane is converted into juice.

In the fourth stage, juice is purified by limestone filter, and then juice is enterd into an evaporator that chnaged the jucie into thick liquid called syrup. In the sixth step, syrup is transferd into the centrifuge that separated the sugar crystals from the syrup. In the final stage , pure syrup from the centrifuge are dried and cooled

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses the main features of the diagram, outlining the seven key stages of sugar production from the initial cultivation of sugar cane to the final drying and cooling process. An overview is attempted in the second sentence, noting the total number of steps and the beginning and end points. However, the overview is somewhat simplistic and contains awkward phrasing ("suagr in the last step drying and cooling"). Additionally, there is a minor omission regarding stage five, as the student mentions moving directly from the evaporator to the centrifuge, missing the intermediate transition, though the overall sequence is still clear. The response meets the minimum word count requirement of 150 words.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression following the chronological order of the manufacturing process. The writer attempts to structure the response by introducing sequential transition phrases at the beginning of sentences, such as "In the first step," "In the th second steps," and "In the fourth stage." However, the paragraphing is underdeveloped; the response is broken into only two very short paragraphs, and the body paragraph is essentially a run-on block of sequential sentences without sufficient internal grouping or sophisticated cohesive devices. Referencing is generally clear, but mechanical repetition of transitional structures lowers the score for cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific terms from the diagram such as "cultivated," "harvest," "crushed," "limestone filter," "evaporator," "syrup," "centrifuge," and "crystals." However, there are numerous spelling and word-form errors throughout the text, including "suagr," "sugare," "taked," "growth" (instead of grow), "crusing," and "transferd." Furthermore, lexical range is somewhat limited, relying heavily on basic verbs and repetitive vocabulary to describe each step of the process. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ("it taked about 12 to 18 months"), incorrect verb forms ("it ready to harvest", "sugar can is crushed"), and passive voice inaccuracies ("juice is enterd", "pure syrup from the centrifuge are dried"). Punctuation is also weak, with missing periods and run-on clauses (e.g., "...crops of sugar cane, it ready to harvest..."). While the meaning remains mostly clear, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors places this response firmly at band 5.0.

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

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