Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how instant noodles are manufactured.

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The diagram illustrates the process of how instant noodles are manufactured. Overall, the production line consists of eight distinct stages, beginning with the delivery of raw flour and culminating in the final packaging of the product.

Initially, flour is transported from large storage silos into a mixing machine, where it is thoroughly combined with water and oil to create dough. Next, this dough is passed through heavy rollers to be flattened into thin sheets. A specialized machine then slices these sheets into long, thin dough strips.

In the fifth stage, the strips are shaped into distinctive noodle discs. Following this, the discs are cooked in oil and left to dry. Once completely dry, vegetables and noodle discs for flavoring. Finally, the noodles are placed inside cups, labeled, and sealed securely, making them fully ready for distribution to retail shops.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main stages of the noodle manufacturing process, from raw materials to final packaging. However, the response is 139 words long, failing to meet the 150-word minimum requirement. This under-length significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the description. Additionally, there is a notable omission in the penultimate sentence: 'vegetables and noodle discs for flavoring' is a sentence fragment that lacks a verb, making the process unclear at that stage. While the overview is present, the lack of sufficient length and the incomplete sentence structure prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized, following the chronological order of the manufacturing process. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'Next', 'Following this', and 'Finally' helps guide the reader through the stages effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction from the body of the process. However, because the text is quite short, the flow feels somewhat abrupt. The transition between the cooking/drying stage and the flavoring stage is hindered by the grammatical error in the final paragraph, which disrupts the logical progression of the description.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, using terms like 'silos', 'manufacturing', 'culminating', and 'distribution'. The range is adequate for describing a process, though it lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. There are no significant spelling errors, and the word choices are generally accurate in context. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise technical vocabulary related to industrial processes and ensure that the terminology used is consistently integrated into complete, grammatically sound sentences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the passive voice construction 'flour is transported' and 'discs are cooked'. While many sentences are accurate, there is a critical error in the final paragraph: 'Once completely dry, vegetables and noodle discs for flavoring.' This is a sentence fragment that lacks a main verb, which negatively impacts the overall grammatical control. Aside from this, the punctuation is generally correct, and the errors present do not consistently impede communication, though they do limit the score.

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

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