Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-29
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 illustration gives information about the method of how sugar make with the help of sugar cane. Overall, the plants of sugar canes are cutting by two methods by human and machine.
It is quit evident from the diagram that the process of making sugar is divided into several stages. Firstly, the sugar cane have planted in the soil and the process of growing this plant take 12 to 18 months. After this people are harvesting this plant with two methods and the first method is harvesting this by human and second method is cut this by machine.
Furthermore, after the cutting the plant of sugar canes are crushing and the juice of this plants has separated with the help of machine. The juice of this plants is purifying with the help of limestone filter and after the juice becomes syrup with the help of heat. The sugar crystals is separates from syrup. Finally the sugar is drying and cooling.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The candidate attempts to cover the main features of the sugar manufacturing process, identifying key stages from growing and harvesting to crushing, purifying, evaporating, centrifuging, and finally drying and cooling. An overview is attempted at the beginning, noting that sugar is made from sugar cane and harvested in two ways. However, the response lacks sufficient extension and comparison where relevant, and some mechanical details are described rather simply. There are minor inaccuracies in reporting the visual details, such as stating the plants are cutting instead of the canes being harvested. Nevertheless, all main steps of the linear process are outlined in sequence. This performance aligns with Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptors, specifically fulfilling the criteria for Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear sequence of events moving logically from stage to stage. Transition markers such as "Firstly", "After this", "Furthermore", and "Finally" are used to structure the progression of the process, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive ("with the help of"). Paragraphing is attempted, splitting the introduction, body description, and final steps, though the paragraph breaks are somewhat arbitrary and could be grouped more logically into an introduction/overview and distinct body paragraphs. Referencing is generally clear, allowing the reader to follow the flow of the diagram. This corresponds to Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating process-specific terms such as "harvesting", "crushing", "limestone filter", "evaporator", "syrup", and "sugar crystals". However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as "how sugar make with the help of sugar cane" instead of 'how sugar is made', "plants of sugar canes are cutting" instead of 'harvested', and "quit evident" instead of 'quite evident'. The range is somewhat limited and repetitive, and word formation/collocation errors are frequent enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.0. Therefore, a band score of 5.0 is appropriate here.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is weak throughout. There are numerous basic errors in verb forms, voice, and subject-verb agreement, such as "the sugar cane have planted" (should be 'are planted'), "this plant take" (should be 'takes'), "process of the cutting the plant of sugar canes are crushing" (grammatically tangled), and "The sugar crystals is separates". These persistent errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and reflect typical Band 5 characteristics, where attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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