Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-28

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 5.0)

The diagram below illustrates the manufacturing steps for converting sugar cane into sugar.

There are total seven stages for manufacturing sugar starting from growing sugar cane and ends at drying and cooling sugar.

According to diagram, the first step is to growing sugar cane which requires almost 1 year for harvesting. The process of harvesting done with machines or by hands after harvesting these sugar canes are passed through the crushing machine for converting into juice and then in fourth step juice is proper filtered with the help of limestone filter after that juice become syrup when Evaporator filled with juice heated on fire after becoming syrup then in second last step a centrifuge machine filtered sugar crystals from evaporated syrup and then transferred toward the next step. In final step the sugar particles obtained from syrup are drying in drum and also cooling the particles is included in this step and finally sugar is ready for use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the diagram illustrating the sugar manufacturing process, identifying the main stages from growing and harvesting to drying and cooling. However, Task Achievement is significantly limited by several factors. Firstly, the response contains a run-on sentence structure that fails to break down the stages clearly ('According to diagram, the first step is to growing sugar cane...'). Secondly, some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly expressed, such as stating that growing requires 'almost 1 year for harvesting' (while the diagram states 12-18 months) and describing the evaporator being 'filled with juice heated on fire'. An overall overview is missing at the beginning, as the second sentence merely lists the steps rather than highlighting key features of the linear process. Consequently, the response addresses the prompt only partially.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text suffers from poor paragraphing and a lack of proper punctuation. The body of the response is written as a single, massive, unbroken paragraph consisting of extremely long run-on sentences connected by coordinating conjunctions and commas (e.g., 'after harvesting these sugar canes are passed through... and then in fourth step... after that... after becoming syrup then...'). Cohesive devices are either overused in a repetitive manner ('and then', 'after that') or entirely missing where full stops are required. There is no clear logical segmentation of the process stages, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression smoothly, which aligns with Band 5 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, revolving around terms directly copied or slightly modified from the prompt, such as 'sugar cane', 'harvesting', 'crushing machine', 'juice', 'syrup', and 'crystals'. There are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'is to growing' instead of 'is growing' and 'proper filtered' instead of 'properly filtered'. Attempts at less common vocabulary are very limited and generally inaccurate or awkwardly phrased (e.g., 'second last step'). Lexical resource is minimally adequate for the task, but frequent inaccuracies place it firmly at Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The grammatical range is extremely limited, dominated by poorly controlled simple and compound structures linked together incorrectly. The text lacks proper sentence boundaries, resulting in massive run-on sentences devoid of periods. There are frequent grammatical errors, including infinitive/gerund confusion ('is to growing' instead of 'growing'), missing auxiliary verbs ('The process of harvesting done...'), and incorrect word forms ('are drying' instead of 'are dried'). The lack of punctuation and frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader, justifying a Band 4.5 to 5.0; a score of 5.0 reflects the basic communicative success despite severe structural flaws.

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