Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-26

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 above figure shows the procedure of making sugar from sugar cane. The first step is the growing process where the sugar cane is grown, this process takes about 12-18 months. After the growing process comes the harvesting process where the sugar canes are cut down by machinery or physically by the farmer. Similarly after harvesting the sugar canes are crushed into a machine and the juice comes out of the machine after that it is purified all the unwanted particles are thrown out and the purifier also contains limestone filter so that there may be no sour taste in the sugar. After purifying the juice it is gone for evaporation process in which the juice becomes syrup it becomes thick. After it is gone for centrifuge in which it separates sugar from crystals from syrup then comes the final step drying and cooling step the syrup is dried and cooled down.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies all the major stages of the sugar manufacturing process, starting from the 12-18 month growing period through harvesting, crushing, purifying, evaporating, centrifuging, and finally drying and cooling. The overall progression of the linear process is accurately captured, and specific details like the limestone filter and the 12-18 month duration are correctly mentioned. However, the response lacks a clear overview paragraph summarising the main features of the process, such as the total number of steps or the division between agricultural and industrial phases. Furthermore, the formatting is presented entirely as a single block of text rather than structured paragraphs, which limits the development of a fully coherent response. Consequently, the task achievement is awarded a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text suffers significantly in this criterion due to a complete lack of paragraphing. The entire response is written as one long, dense block of text, making it visually and structurally difficult to follow. While basic sequence connectors are attempted (e.g., 'The first step', 'After the growing process', 'then comes the final step'), they are often strung together in a repetitive and run-on manner, such as 'Similarly after harvesting...'. Cohesive devices are over-used in a mechanical fashion without adequate punctuation to separate independent clauses, resulting in comma splices and long, breathless sentences. There is no clear demarcation between the introduction, body description, and conclusion. These issues place the response firmly at Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, successfully borrowing process-specific terms directly from the diagram such as 'growing', 'harvesting', 'crushing', 'purifying', 'evaporator', and 'centrifuge'. However, the range of vocabulary is rather limited, and there are noticeable instances of awkward phrasing or imprecise word choice, such as 'physically by the farmer' instead of 'manually', and 'it is gone for evaporation process' instead of 'it undergoes evaporation'. Repetition of common verbs like 'comes', 'process', and 'machine' reduces lexical flexibility. Spelling is generally accurate for common words, but the overall lexical control sits at a Band 5.5 level due to the lack of precision and narrow range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The grammatical range is limited, relying heavily on simple and compound structures connected by coordinating conjunctions or relative clauses, often without proper punctuation. The text is marred by run-on sentences and a lack of full stops, such as in '...the juice comes out of the machine after that it is purified all the unwanted particles are thrown out and the purifier also contains limestone filter...'. This constitutes a serious punctuation flaw (comma splices and missing sentence boundaries). While there are some correct simple statements, the frequency of grammatical inaccuracies and poor punctuation control restricts the response to Band 5.0.

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

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