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 diagram below represents the steps that are involved in the production of sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, initially it start from growing and then harvested and crushed after going from the purifying process it goes through the evaporators it reaches to the final process of centrifuge, drying and cooling.

Moreover, it takes about 12 to 18 months growing the sugarcanes after the process of growth it is then harvested by a man and crushed with the help of machine, the machine convert's the sugar cane into juice and the juice is then purified in a machine having the limestone filter and then the juice becomes in the form of syrup through the evaporator process which is done with the help of heat. Besides this the centrifuge separates the sugar crystals from syrup and then it reches to its final stage of drying and cooling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by outlining the overall linear process of sugar production from sugar cane, noting key stages such as growing, harvesting, crushing, purifying, evaporating, centrifuging, and drying. However, the explanation remains somewhat limited and under-developed, lacking a clear overview of the dual harvesting methods shown in the diagram and glossing over important details like the two-way mechanical separation. Furthermore, the length requirement is not met, as the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, leaving the overall summary slightly incomplete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation evident through basic sequencing words like "Overall", "Moreover", and "Besides this", but the overall progression lacks fluidity due to poorly managed cohesive devices. The response suffers from a heavy reliance on run-on sentences and comma splices, particularly in the second paragraph where multiple distinct steps are chained together without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions. Paragraphing is attempted, splitting the introduction from the body, but the internal logical flow of ideas remains mechanical and occasionally difficult to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as "sugar cane", "crushed", "limestone filter", "syrup", and "sugar crystals". However, there are noticeable lexical errors, incorrect word forms, and spelling mistakes—such as "reches" instead of "reaches" and the awkward phrasing "the juice becomes in the form of syrup"—which restrict the lexical range and occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on basic clauses joined inappropriately. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly missing articles, incorrect prepositions (e.g., "growing the sugarcanes after the process of growth"), and punctuation faults such as run-on sentences. Complex structures are attempted, such as relative clauses or participial phrases, but these are often faulty or poorly controlled. These persistent errors demand more effort from the reader and restrict the grammatical score to a lower band.

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

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