Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-01

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 given process chart illustrates the production of sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the process begins with growing sugar canes and harvesting after one or one and half year. This process bieng carried under few stages, such as crushing, centrifuge and drying and cooling.

At first, after 12 to 18 months sugar cane plants are prepared to harvest, then plants are harvesting y machines or by workers. At third step, sugar canes carried to crushing machines, in which liquid and solid material are seperating. At fourth stage, sugar cane juice is fermanting in a limestone filter, After filteration process to converting into syrup, juice transfered into large containers and evaporate under heat, when it converted into thick syrup, sugar take place in the syrup in the crystal form, then sugar crystal seperates from liquid. At the end of the process, sugar crystals are drying and cooling in containers and carried to market for sale.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of sugar production from sugar cane, from growing and harvesting through to drying and cooling. An overview is attempted at the beginning, noting the start and key phases of the process. However, some aspects of the response are under-developed or lack full clarity regarding how the steps connect. For instance, the description of the evaporation and centrifugation stages is slightly compressed and blends several distinct steps together without clearly distinguishing the transition from syrup to sugar crystals. To reach a higher level, the writer should ensure that every stage depicted in the diagram is fully and clearly elaborated with precise descriptions of the physical transformations taking place.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical chronological progression that follows the sequence of the diagram. The writer attempts to use various cohesive devices and sequencing markers, such as "At first", "then", "At third step", and "At the end of the process". However, some referencing is faulty or mechanical, and paragraphing is underdeveloped since the response consists mostly of one large block of text following a brief introductory sentence. Furthermore, transitional phrases are occasionally awkward, such as "At third step" missing an article. To improve cohesion, the writer should organise the text into distinct, logical paragraphs representing different phases of the process and employ a wider range of seamless transitional phrases without relying on repetitive sequential markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to incorporate less common items related to industrial processes, such as "crushing machines", "limestone filter", "evaporate", and "crystal form". However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and spelling errors throughout the text, including "bieng" instead of being, "fermanteing" or "fermanting" instead of filtering, "filteration", "transfered", and "seperates" (repeated as "seperating"). These word-choice and spelling errors do not completely impede communication, but they prevent the response from achieving a higher band. To improve, the writer needs to expand their control of spelling and precise technical vocabulary, ensuring words are formed correctly and used in appropriate collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and participial phrases. However, there are frequent grammatical errors involving verb forms, voice, prepositions, and article usage. Examples of inaccuracies include "This process bieng carried under few stages" (passive voice and preposition errors), "plants are harvesting y machines" (active/passive confusion and a typo), "sugar canes carried to crushing machines" (missing auxiliary verb), "juice is fermanting in a limestone filter" (incorrect active voice for a passive filtering process), and "sugar crystals are drying and cooling" (intransitive vs. transitive verb usage). While these errors rarely impede overall communication, their frequency places the grammar clearly at this level. To progress, the writer must focus on consistent control of auxiliary verbs, accurate passive voice structures, and correct prepositions.

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

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