Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-25

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 process of producing sugar from sugar cane. overall there are seven main stages,begining with growing of sugar cane and ending with the drying and cooling of the final sugar crystals.

First,sugar cane is growing in fields for approximately 12 to 18 months until it reaches maturity.It is then harvested either by hand or special harvesting machine. After harvesting,the sugar cane is crushed in a mill to extract its juice.

Next the extract juice is purified with limestone filter. The purified juice is then heated in an evaporator,where water is removed and the juice becomes a thick syrup is placed in a centrifuge, which separates the sugar crystals from the remaining liquid.

Finally, the sugar crystals are dried and cool.After this process, the finished sugar is ready for packing and ready for sale to market. overall the production consist on seven stages then the sugar are prepared and packing stages through out sales in the market dealer. Overall the process attain hardworking process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully outlines the seven main stages of the sugar manufacturing process, starting from growing the sugar cane to the final drying and cooling. Key features such as harvesting methods, crushing, purifying, evaporating, and centrifuging are all mentioned in sequence. However, there are minor issues with mechanical repetition and garbled phrasing towards the end of the text, particularly with sentences like 'overall the production consist on seven stages then the sugar are prepared and packing stages through out sales in the market dealer.' Despite these repetitive and confusing concluding sentences, the overview is present and the core mechanical steps of the diagram are adequately covered, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, following the chronological progression of the diagram from growing to the final stages. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'After harvesting', 'Next', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the process. However, paragraphing is somewhat erratic and the conclusion is cluttered with repetitive phrasing ('overall there are seven main stages...', 'overall the production consist on seven stages...', 'Overall the process attain...'). Referencing becomes slightly unclear towards the end due to grammatical breakdowns, resulting in a cohesive flow that is occasionally mechanical or faulty. This performance fits the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'maturity', 'harvested', 'crushed', 'purified', and 'centrifuge' that relate directly to the prompt. However, there are several word choice errors, awkward collocations, and spelling/form issues, such as 'begining', 'extract juice' instead of 'extracted juice', and 'dried and cool' instead of 'dried and cooled'. The overuse of repetitive phrasing in the conclusion ('overall', 'process', 'stages') limits lexical flexibility. As the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the core meaning despite these noticeable inaccuracies, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including passive voice constructions like 'sugar cane is crushed' and 'the purified juice is then heated'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms and tense consistency, such as 'sugar cane is growing' instead of 'is grown', 'the thick syrup is placed' (which creates a run-on or missing relative clause), and subject-verb agreement errors like 'the sugar are prepared and packing stages'. Punctuation is also weak, with missing spaces after commas and periods. Because errors are frequent enough to cause some distraction without completely impeding communication, a Band 5.5 is warranted.

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

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