Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-03

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 show the manufacturing process for making sugar from the sugar cane.

The process consist of seven different stages, start with growing and end with dying and cooling.

To begin with, growing the sugar canes in the field for the 12-18 months after that harvesting the sugar canes with two process by electronic devices or with from human in the third process the sugar canes enter in the machine when the machine start crushing the sugar canes juice come from a spot. In next process purifying the juice in a limestone filter after that the the juice send in evaporator in the evaporator the temperature is high the juice becomes syrup. In the six step the syrup enter in the centrifuge, in centrifuge separates the sugar crystal from the syrup. The last step of this process is drying and cooling the sugar enter in a box they used for drying and cooling after that sugar is ready for use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, covering the main steps of the sugar manufacturing process from growing to drying and cooling. However, some key features are under-developed or described with limited detail. For instance, the description of harvesting mentions two methods ('by electronic devices or with from human'), but the overall progression lacks clear summarisation and highlighting of key features. The overview is overly simplistic, simply stating that the process 'consist of seven different stages, start with growing and end with dying and cooling'. To reach a higher level, the response needs a more comprehensive overview of the entire linear process, identifying main trends or stages more clearly, and supporting all descriptions with fully developed detail rather than rushing through the steps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation, but the text lacks a clear overall progression. The response is presented almost as a single, dense block of text with inadequate paragraphing, which makes following the sequence difficult. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical, repetitive, or inaccurate, such as 'To begin with', 'after that', 'In next process', and 'In the six step'. Referencing is also sometimes unclear, as seen in phrases like 'the sugar enter in a box they used for drying'. To improve, the writer needs to divide the response into logical paragraphs—such as grouping the agricultural and mechanical phases separately—and employ a wider variety of cohesive markers more naturally to ensure a smooth flow of information from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, successfully incorporating some process-specific terms such as 'crushing', 'limestone filter', 'evaporator', 'centrifuge', and 'crystals'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, for example, 'dying' instead of 'drying', 'electronic devices' instead of mechanical machinery, and awkward phrasing like 'juice come from a spot'. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical range beyond basic terms, demonstrate greater control over less common vocabulary and collocations related to industrial processes, and eliminate spelling and word-form errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on a limited range of structures, and attempts at longer or more complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are persistent errors in verb forms, tense consistency, and prepositions inside grammatical patterns, such as 'The diagram below show', 'growing the sugar canes... after that harvesting', 'sugar canes enter in the machine', and 'the juice send in evaporator'. Punctuation is also weak, with run-on sentences lacking proper terminal punctuation or clause separation. To move up, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex sentence forms with good control, significantly reducing the frequency of basic grammatical errors that disrupt the flow and clarity of the writing.

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.