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 diagram illustrates the process for producing sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, there are seven main stages of sugar production. Starting with the growing and ending with the drying and cooling the sugar.

Initially, sugar cane is grown for 12-18 months. Once the sugar cane has matured, it is harvested either manually or by machine. After completing the harvesting, the sugar cane is crushed and extracted the juice. The juice is purified by using a limestone filter to remove the extra particles.

Similarly, purifying juice is heated in an evaporator until the juice becomes syrup. The juice is passed a centrifuge to separate sugar crystals from syrup. Finally the syrup is dried and cooled and produces the final sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers all the main steps in the sugar manufacturing process, starting from growing and harvesting through to crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifugation, and final drying and cooling. An overview is successfully provided, noting the total number of stages. However, the length requirement of at least 150 words is not met, as the response contains only 119 words. This under-length shortfall restricts the degree of development and prevents the task achievement score from reaching higher bands. Despite this, the key features of the diagram are accurately reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression through the stages of the process, following the sequential order shown in the diagram. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'Once', 'After completing', and 'Finally' are used effectively to guide the reader through the steps. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, with a clear separation between the introductory overview and the body details. However, some minor cohesion lapses occur, such as the awkward transition 'Similarly, purifying juice is heated', which slightly disrupts the flow. Overall, the structural arrangement is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for describing a process, incorporating appropriate topic-specific terms such as 'harvested', 'crushed', 'juice', 'limestone filter', 'evaporator', 'syrup', 'centrifuge', and 'crystals'. There are, however, some noticeable lexical and collocational inaccuracies. For instance, the phrase 'extracted the juice' is grammatically awkward, and 'purifying juice' should be 'the purified juice'. While the writer attempts less common vocabulary, word-choice errors prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as temporal clauses ('Once the sugar cane has matured, it is harvested...') and passive voice constructions ('sugar cane is grown', 'it is harvested', 'the juice is purified'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including 'ending with the drying and cooling the sugar' (superfluous article), 'extracted the juice' (active voice used incorrectly where passive is needed), and 'The juice is passed a centrifuge' (missing preposition). Nonetheless, these errors do not severely impede communication.

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

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