Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-15

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The table below shows the numbers of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before and the year after it was refurbished. The charts show the result of surveys asking visitors how satisfied they were with their visit, during the same two periods.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The flow chart illustrates the manufacturing process for producing sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the given diagram depicts the manufacturing  process of sugar depends on 7 steps. The first step is growing of sugar cane in fields. Then it is harvested and undergo multiple steps and the last step is drying and cooling of sugar.

The manufacturing process of sugar cane starts from growing of sugar cane. It is a time period of 12-18 months. The second step is to cut sugar cane. It can be done mechanically and by hands as well. After the sugar canes are crushed to produce juice. Then juice is sent to purify it. It passes through limestone filter. Then it undergoes through 5th step. The juice is evaporated through heat. In this step, juice is converted into syrup. Then syrup is centrifuged. It is done to separate sugar crystals from syrup. The last step is to dry and cool the sugar. This is also the 7th step. Following this sugar is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0

The student completely misunderstood the prompt. The task required summarising data about visitor numbers and satisfaction levels at Ashdown Museum before and after refurbishment. Instead, the student wrote about a manufacturing process for sugar from sugar cane, which is entirely off-topic and irrelevant to the visual data provided. Consequently, the response fails to select, report, or compare the main features of the actual charts and table. According to the band descriptors, an off-topic response fails to address the prompt requirements, resulting in a low band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

Despite the severe content irrelevance, the text exhibits a basic organizational structure. The student attempts to use paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, and body sentences detailing sequential steps. Cohesive devices such as 'The first step', 'Then', and 'The last step' are employed to guide the reader through the process. However, referencing is repetitive and logical progression is constrained by the erroneous subject matter. Paragraphing is visible, though somewhat fragmented.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relevant to a process description, featuring terms like 'manufacturing process', 'harvested', 'crushed', 'purify', 'evaporated', 'syrup', and 'crystals'. However, the range is limited and repetitive. There are awkward phrasings and word choices, such as 'manufacturing process of sugar depends on 7 steps' and 'undergo multiple steps'. While the vocabulary is understandable, it lacks the precision and flexibility expected for higher bands, functioning adequately only for a basic descriptive task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The text displays a mix of simple and moderately complex sentence forms, such as 'When the sugar canes are crushed to produce juice.' and 'In this step, juice is converted into syrup.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward structures, including 'process of sugar depends on', 'undergo multiple steps' (subject-verb agreement), 'and by hands', and 'Then it undergoes through 5th step' (unnecessary preposition). These errors show limited control over complex structures, though they do not entirely obscure the intended meaning of the process.

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

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