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 chart illustrates the manufacturing process for making suger from suger cane.

Overall, the process consists of seven stages, at the beginning, starts with planting and growing the suger canes and harvesting the suger canes and at the ending the liquid suger are dried and cooled.

At the beginning, the suger cane planted growed after that it harvest throught cutting machinary or cutted by the hand. Futhermore, the sticks of suger cane crushed by the machine and collect the juice. In addition, the juice was purified by the limestone filter. Whereas, the juice was transfered into a evaporator chamber to turn the juice into a syrup.

In second last stage, the syrup moved to a centrifuge process to separate the suger crystals from the syrup. In last step the suger transfered into a big cantainer to dry and cool the suger to make the final product from the canen.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a relevant overview from growing and harvesting to drying and cooling. Most key stages are included, including crushing, limestone filtration, evaporation and centrifuging, and the two harvesting methods are noted. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: “the liquid sugar are dried and cooled” suggests the liquid itself is the final material, whereas the diagram shows sugar crystals separated from syrup and then dried and cooled. The growing period of 12–18 months is omitted, and the final container is not a stated feature. To make the account more complete and precise, report the duration and distinguish the juice, syrup, crystals and finished sugar clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence and is divided into an overview and process details, so the reader can follow the broad progression. Connectors such as “At the beginning,” “Furthermore,” and “In addition” help signal movement through the stages. However, progression is sometimes mechanical, and the overview repeats the opening and ending rather than summarising the main transformation. Phrases such as “In second last stage” and “In last step” are awkward, while “Whereas” does not establish a clear contrast between the evaporator and the preceding stage. Grouping the stages into clearer phases and using more precise links—such as “Next,” “After filtration,” and “Finally”—would improve flow and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use several relevant process terms, including “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” “centrifuge,” and “crystals,” which help convey the diagram’s technical content. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, making parts of the account less clear. For example, “suger” is repeatedly misspelled, “cutting machinary” is imprecise, and “big cantainer” is an unnecessary description not supported by the diagram. “Liquid suger” also confuses the material at the final stage. Aim for accurate process vocabulary and avoid adding descriptive details that are not shown. Proofreading spelling and choosing terms such as “sugar cane stalks” and “sugar crystals” would make the description more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the overall sequence can usually be understood. However, errors are frequent, and longer constructions are often faulty. Examples include “the suger cane planted growed,” “it harvest,” and “the sticks of suger cane crushed,” where verb forms and passive structures are not controlled. There are also agreement and article problems in “the liquid suger are dried” and “into a evaporator chamber.” The sentence beginning “Overall” is awkwardly constructed, with “consists of seven stages” followed by “at the beginning, starts with.” Practise consistent passive forms for process descriptions, such as “the cane is harvested” and “the juice is purified,” and check subject–verb agreement and articles.

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