Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-14

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 diagram illustrate the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane. The sugar cane is growing within 12 to 18 months. People has harvest it and then harvesting it in the machine.

After that, crushing the sugar canes. It has been provide juice. The purifying juice has been filter through limestone filter. The juice is evaporator with heat which makes the juice as a syrup.

After that, it can be centrifuge through the machine. The sugar crystals separates from the syrup through centrifuge. At the end, it can be drying and cooling and it has been changed into sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the process as sugar production and mention several key stages, including growing, crushing, filtering, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying. However, the response is far below the required 150 words, which limits how fully you can summarise the diagram. Some details are missing or unclear: harvesting uses either a machine or a person, but your sentence suggests both methods are used in sequence. You also do not clearly explain that the cane is crushed to extract juice, or that the final stage produces sugar crystals after drying and cooling. Add a concise overview of the process and describe the stages in order, including the two harvesting options and the separation of crystals from syrup.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are presented in a mostly logical order, and phrases such as “After that” and “At the end” help signal progression. This gives the reader a basic sense of how the process moves from growing to the final product. However, the response is written as one paragraph, and the repeated use of “After that” makes the linking mechanical. Some connections between stages are also unclear, particularly the harvesting sentence, which does not distinguish the alternative methods. Organise the response into an introduction and a process description, and use a wider range of clear sequencing expressions such as “Once harvested” and “Following purification” to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “crushing,” “limestone filter,” “syrup,” “centrifuge,” and “sugar crystals,” so the reader can recognise the main subject and several stages. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms are unnatural, such as “It has been provide juice,” “the juice is evaporator,” and “it can be drying and cooling.” These expressions make parts of the process harder to understand. Use precise verbs that describe what happens at each stage, for example, “extract,” “filter,” “heat,” “separate,” and “dry.” Also avoid repeating “After that” when more specific transitions can show the relationship between stages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response mainly uses short, simple sentences, with a few attempts to connect ideas using “which” and “and.” However, frequent errors in verb forms and agreement sometimes obscure the process. For example, “The diagram illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, “People has harvest it” has an incorrect auxiliary and verb form, and “The sugar crystals separates” has a plural subject with a singular verb. Passive forms are also attempted but are often faulty, as in “It has been provide juice.” Practise accurate present-simple and passive constructions for process descriptions, such as “The cane is crushed” and “The crystals are separated from the syrup.” Vary sentence structures only after these basic forms are secure.

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