Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30

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)

This diagram illustrates the process of making sugar from sugar cane. It includes seven stages, which begins with cultivation and ends with drying and cooling.

Overall, manufacturing of sugar from sugar cane is a seven stage process. It starts with cultivation and harvesting. Ends with drying and cooling, between these steps mechanical and chemical process take place.

Initially, the plants were grown in 12 to 18 months and then harvested by hands or by machines, once matured. Then in order to get juice sugar cane is crushed by a crushing machine, this juice is then purified by a limestone filter.

The filtered juice is then poured into an evaporator, excess moisture is then turned in to steam and we got syrup. After that, in order to get crystals, this syrup is added into a centrifuge. At the end, these crystrals are then dried and cooled. Now the sugar is ready for use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all stages of the sugar manufacturing process, from growing and harvesting through crushing, purifying, evaporating, and centrifuging to drying and cooling. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, which effectively summarizes the main features of the diagram as a seven-stage process involving mechanical and chemical steps. The details accurately reflect the visual data without major omissions or misinterpretations. However, the overview is somewhat repetitive, as the first two sentences of the response essentially restate the same information ("It includes seven stages..." and "Overall, manufacturing of sugar from sugar cane is a seven stage process"). Despite this minor redundancy, the task is fully and accurately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 range. Due to the clear coverage and accurate reporting of all steps, a band score of 6.5 is appropriate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression from the introduction to the final step of the process. The student attempts to use cohesive devices such as "Initially", "Then", "The filtered juice is then", and "At the end". However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with the overview split awkwardly and repeated across the first two paragraphs, creating unnecessary clutter. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as switching between tenses abruptly ("the plants were grown" versus present tense verbs later on). While the overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, the repetitiveness in the introduction and minor mechanical cohesion issues place this section firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terminology such as "cultivation", "harvested", "crushing machine", "limestone filter", "evaporator", and "centrifuge". The student also attempts some less common phrasing like "excess moisture" and "sugar crystals". However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as saying "harvested by hands" (should be "by hand"), "turned in to steam" (should be "turned into steam"), and "we got syrup" (overly colloquial/informal for an academic task). There is also a spelling error with "crystrals". These inaccuracies demonstrate a Band 6.0 level of lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing passive structures appropriately ("sugar cane is crushed", "is then purified"). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, such as the tense shift in "Initially, the plants were grown in 12 to 18 months" (which should describe a duration or active growth rather than past passive) and comma splices or run-on structures like "this juice is then purified by a limestone filter, the filtered juice is then..." (or similar comma-joined clauses). Punctuation and sentence boundary issues appear, such as "Ends with drying and cooling, between these steps mechanical and chemical process take place." These errors occasionally cause minor friction for the reader, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors.

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

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