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 diagram illustrates the manufacturing method of creating sugar from sugar cane, which consists of eight diverse steps.

Overall, the diagram represents the simple process which is done through several stages which starts from harvesting raw crops and ends at the cooling and drying of the sugar.

In general, the procedure starts from growing crops which takes 12 to 18 months of time to grow when the sugar cane crops mature then the harvesting process is started. The harvesting is done through agricultural tools by farmers and some cutting process is done by crops cutting machines. Meanwhile, the canes are sent for crushing from a wheel’s machine which crush them and squeeze their juice.

Furthermore, juice is poured inside the limestone filter where it is purified and sent for evaporation where through heat the juice is evaporated and became in the form of syrup. After that the syrup is sent for Centrifuge where sugar crystals separate from the sweet liquid. At the end of the method drying and cooling process will be done to sugar and it becomes in form of sugar which we use on daily basis.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully covers all the key stages of the sugar manufacturing process, starting from growing and harvesting through crushing, purifying, evaporating, and centrifuging, to the final drying and cooling. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, which outlines the beginning and end of the process. However, the student incorrectly states that there are "eight diverse steps," whereas the diagram depicts seven primary stages. Additionally, some details are slightly inaccurate or awkwardly phrased, such as mentioning "wheel’s machine" for crushing. Nevertheless, the main features are adequately reported and compared where relevant, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is coherent overall with a clear progression from the beginning to the end of the diagram. Paragraphing is used logically to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the sequence, such as "Overall," "In general," "Furthermore," "After that," and "At the end of the method." However, some referencing and linking devices feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, and sentence boundaries are occasionally blurred due to run-on structures. These issues place the writing firmly in the Band 6 range for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific terms like "harvesting," "crushing," "purified," "evaporation," and "crystals." However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as "manufacturing method of creating sugar" instead of "manufacturing process," "wheel’s machine" instead of "mechanical crusher," and "became in the form of syrup" instead of "turned into syrup." Repetition of simple vocabulary like "process," "growing," and "sugar" is also evident. These errors do not impede communication, matching the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and temporal markers. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including run-on sentences (e.g., "when the sugar cane crops mature then the harvesting process is started"), tense inconsistencies, and missing articles or prepositions ("the harvesting is done through agricultural tools by farmers and some cutting process is done by crops cutting machines"). While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they disrupt the flow and prevent the response from achieving a higher band score, making Band 5.0 or 6.0 appropriate. Given the successful communication of meaning, a 6.0 is awarded.

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

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