Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-12

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 5.0)

The process chart illustrates how sugar produced from sugar cane.

To bigin, the sugar cane take 12-18 months for grow after the sugar can grow it has to steps to harvest first is by hand and second is by machine. After the harvest the sugar cane put into crushing machine so that machine produce juice. Moreover, juice send to limestone fillter to purifying the juice after the purifying juice put into big jar and lit the fire below jar and juice becomne syrup. syrup send to centrifuge to seprate crystals fromn syrup after that the seprate crystals send to big container and stored in drying place and cooling the sugar

overall, it is long process to produce sugar fronm sugar cane and there are numerous steps are add for produce sugar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main stages in the correct general order, including growing, harvesting by hand or machine, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying/cooling. The growing period of 12–18 months is also accurately reported. However, the description is brief and some process details are unclear: for example, the final stage is described as sugar being “stored in drying place,” whereas the diagram shows drying and cooling, not storage. The overview only says that the process is long and has numerous steps, rather than summarising its main transformation from cane to sugar. The response also falls 19 words short of the required minimum, limiting the detail provided. Add a clearer overview and explain the key changes at each stage more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are mostly presented in sequence, and linking expressions such as “after,” “moreover,” and “after that” help the reader follow the process. The response also attempts to separate the opening from an overall statement. However, most of the process is compressed into one long paragraph, so the progression is difficult to scan. Several links are repetitive or awkward, and the final “overall” statement comes after the detailed account without functioning as a clear overview. Use a separate overview paragraph, then group the stages into logical sections, such as harvesting and processing. Shorter sentences and clearer transitions would make the sequence easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvest,” “crushing machine,” “limestone,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which helps convey the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the meaning less clear, such as “limestone fillter,” “big jar,” and “stored in drying place.” Spelling errors, including “bigin,” “becomne,” and “seprate,” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process terms and natural collocations rather than general descriptions: for instance, describe juice as being heated in an evaporator and sugar crystals as being dried and cooled. Proofreading technical vocabulary would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe a sequence using time clauses and connectors, but sentence structures are mostly simple or joined into long, faulty sentences. Errors are frequent in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “the sugar cane take 12-18 months for grow” needs a correctly formed passive or active construction, while “juice send to limestone filter” is missing an auxiliary verb. The sentence beginning “After the harvest” also combines several stages without clear grammatical boundaries. Practise accurate passive forms for process descriptions, such as “the cane is crushed” and “the juice is heated,” and use full stops to separate stages. This will make the process easier to understand.

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

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