Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-05

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 process diagram depicts how sugar is produced by using sugar cane.

The 7 stages process starts with growing sugar cane that harvested and ultimately use in manufacturing of sugar.

The process begins with cultivating the crop which take approximately twelve to eighteen months to be mature to harvest. After that manual labour harvest the crop or machines are used for this purpose. Harvested crop is palced into a crushing machine that crushed the sugar cane into a liquid and the liquid is then poured into a limestone filter.

In step 5 juice is heated to become a thick syrup. The syrup is transfered to a centrifuge machine. It separates the sugar granules from the syrup. At last stage, sugar crytal are kept into a container to let it dry and cool.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You cover the main sequence from growing the cane through harvesting, crushing, filtering, heating, centrifuging, and drying/cooling, and you correctly include the 12–18-month growing period and the two harvesting methods. However, the response is below the required 150 words, and the overview is limited: “The 7 stages process starts…” does not clearly summarise the process as a whole or highlight its key transformation from cane to separated sugar crystals. Some details are also imprecise, such as saying the crystals are “kept into a container” rather than describing the final drying and cooling stage. Develop the overview and explain the stages more fully, while keeping every detail grounded in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are presented in the correct order, and time markers such as “After that,” “In step 5,” and “At last stage” help the reader follow the process. The response also moves from the initial growing stage to the final product without irrelevant material. However, it is written as one paragraph, so the overview and process description are not clearly separated. Some links are abrupt, particularly the move from the limestone filter to heating, and “The 7 stages process” is an unclear opening transition. Use a brief overview paragraph followed by a logically grouped sequence, and connect each stage explicitly to the next to make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of process vocabulary, including “cultivating,” “limestone filter,” “syrup,” “centrifuge,” and “separates,” which communicates the main operations. Some choices are imprecise or awkward for this diagram: “liquid” is less specific than “juice,” “sugar granules” is not the clearest description of sugar crystals, and “kept into a container” does not naturally describe drying and cooling. There are also spelling errors in “palced,” “transfered,” and “crytal.” Aim for precise process terms and check spelling carefully; this will make the description more accurate and fluent without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple sentences and longer structures, and most of the process remains understandable. However, several errors in verb forms and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “The 7 stages process starts” needs a correctly formed noun phrase, while “sugar cane that harvested” is missing a passive verb form. In “which take approximately twelve to eighteen months to be mature,” the verb does not agree with its subject and the construction is awkward. The final sentence, “sugar crytal are kept,” also has a plural agreement problem. Practise accurate passive forms for process descriptions, such as “the cane is harvested” and “the crystals are dried and cooled,” and proofread agreement and articles.

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