Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-02

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)

Sugar is an important item being used in our daily life. It is used as a sweetner in our dishes to provide them a sweet taste. We get sugar from sugar cane that is an imporant crop in our Punjab. First of all, Sugar cane crop is planted and all the essential requirements are made for its proper growth. The crop get its maximum growth in between 12 to 18 months. After that, it is being harvested by the farmers with the help of equipemnts and other machinery. Then it is transported to the sugar mills via trucks where it is being crushed and purified by the Limestone filter to pure the liquid from impurities like dust etc. After that process, the remaining mixture is being heated, in this way, the liquid get to be evaporate from the container and that juice turns into a syrup like form. After this, the remaining solution is centrifugated. Centrifugation separates the sugar crystals from that syrup. So in that process, the formation of sugar crystallization takes place. So after these processes, those crystals were allow to dry and then cooled

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task partially. While the student attempts to outline the stages of sugar production from growing to cooling, the overview is missing, and the information is presented in a somewhat generalized narrative style rather than a structured report. Certain details are under-developed, and the response lacks a clear organization of the overall process. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to provide a clear overview statement summarizing the main stages of the process and select and report the key features more systematically without relying on irrelevant personal context such as mentioning 'our Punjab'.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organization present, and the response follows a chronological sequence from growing to cooling. However, there is no clear overall progression or paragraphing, as the entire response is written as a single block of text. Cohesive devices are repetitive and basic, relying heavily on connectors like 'First of all,' 'After that,' and 'Then,' which creates a mechanical feel. To improve, the writer should divide the text into logical paragraphs—such as separating the agricultural stage from the industrial processing stages—and use a wider variety of cohesive devices to link ideas more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. While the student attempts some process-related terminology such as 'harvested,' 'crushed,' 'limestone filter,' and 'centrifugation,' there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'sweetner,' 'imporant,' and 'equipemnts' (which also contains spelling mistakes). Furthermore, phrases like 'pure the liquid' demonstrate incorrect word formation. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their range of vocabulary, use less common items with greater precision, and ensure accurate spelling and word formation throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and repetitive passive constructions like 'is being harvested' and 'is being heated.' There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The crop get', 'the liquid get to be evaporate'), missing articles, and run-on sentence structures at the end of the text ('those crystals were allow to dry and then cooled'). These errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to demonstrate better control over complex sentence forms, verb tenses, and grammatical accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.