Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-06

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 diagram given above illustrates the procedure of manufacturing sugar from sugarcane.The first step is gowing sugar cane for 12 to 18 months.Then harvesting starts.

The harvested sugar cane then crushed and juice is exteracted.This juice is purified by limestone filter.This purified juice is evaporated through evaporator by heat and it becomes syrup.

this syrup is converting into sugar crystal by centrifuge process.This proces separates syrup from sugar crystals.As the sugar crystals are forming they becomes hot ,So the next step is to dry and cool them.After drying and cooling the sugar is stored in bags and keep in dry and shadowy area

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main sequence from growing sugar cane through crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying and cooling, and you correctly include the 12–18-month growing period. However, the response is substantially under the required 150 words, so the process is only minimally described. There is no clear overview of the process as a whole, and important details are omitted, including the two harvesting methods and the limestone filter’s role. The final claim that sugar is stored in bags and kept in a dry, shady area is not shown in the diagram, so it should not be included. To develop the report, describe the stages more fully and summarise the overall transformation from cane to sugar crystals.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and words such as “Then” and “After” help the reader follow the process. This gives the response a coherent overall arrangement. However, it is written as one continuous paragraph, and the links between some stages are abrupt: for example, “this syrup is converting into sugar crystal” moves directly to the centrifuge without clearly explaining the separation. Capitalisation at the start of sentences is also inconsistent, which interrupts the flow. Use a short introduction and overview, followed by a clearly organised description of the stages, and connect each step with precise sequencing language such as “Once purified” or “The resulting syrup is then spun in a centrifuge.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use several relevant process terms, including “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which show some task-specific vocabulary. The range is nevertheless limited, and inaccurate spelling or word choice sometimes weakens clarity: “gowing,” “exteracted,” and “proces” are errors, while “sugar crystal” is imprecise for the plural product. Some expressions are also unnatural, such as “dry and shadowy area.” Choose accurate process verbs and collocations, and check spelling carefully. For example, “extract” or “obtain” is more suitable than “exteracted,” and “dry, cool conditions” is more natural than “dry and shadowy area.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response mainly uses simple sentences, with a few attempts to link stages, so the grammatical range is limited. Several errors affect sentence accuracy, including the missing passive auxiliary in “The harvested sugar cane then crushed,” the incorrect form in “this syrup is converting,” and the agreement error in “they becomes.” Sentence boundaries and capitalisation are also inconsistent, as in “syrup. this purified juice.” These problems do not prevent the reader from understanding the general sequence, but they make the description less controlled. Practise passive forms for process descriptions—for example, “The cane is crushed” and “The syrup is heated”—and check subject–verb agreement and sentence punctuation.

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