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 illustrate the information about how sugar is produced from sugar cane.

To begin with, the sugar canes are planted in field and they take a time period of 12-18 months for growing. Then the harvesting is started by the machines and some of the farmer who cannot afford the harvest machines they do cultivation by their hands. After harvesting, in the third step, the sugar canes are putted in the crushing machine and juice comes out.

Moving further, in next step, juice is moved for purifying by limestone filter. In the fifth step, the juice is evaporating where juice becomes syrup. In the second last step centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup. In the last step, sugar is kept is open container for drying and cooling.

Overall, this process contains total seven steps. The process is started from the growing of sugar cane and ended by the sugar whch is ready.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence and include useful details such as the 12–18-month growing period, the two harvesting methods, and the separation of sugar crystals from syrup. However, the overview is placed at the end and mainly repeats that there are seven steps and that sugar is the final product, rather than clearly summarising the process’s key transformation from cane to extracted juice, syrup, and sugar. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the diagram does not say that farmers harvest by hand because they cannot afford machinery, and it shows sugar being dried and cooled in a cylinder, not kept in an open container. A more precise overview and closer reporting of the visual would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are presented in a generally logical order, and paragraphing separates the early and later parts of the process. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “Moving further,” and “In the last step” help the reader follow the sequence. However, the overview comes after the stage-by-stage account, so the response does not establish the process’s main features before giving details. Some transitions are mechanical or imprecise, including “in the second last step,” and the final sentence repeats the starting and ending points without adding a clear summary. Grouping the stages into a concise overview followed by two logically organised detail paragraphs would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “limestone filter,” “evaporating,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which helps communicate the stages. The range is adequate for describing the diagram, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward. For example, “planted in field” and “cultivation by their hands” do not express the intended actions naturally, while “open container” misidentifies the equipment shown. There are also spelling and word-form slips, such as “whch” and “putted.” Aim for precise process verbs and standard collocations, such as “is harvested by hand,” “is crushed,” and “is dried and cooled.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and some longer structures, and the sequence is usually understandable. However, errors occur in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For instance, “The diagram illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, “in field” needs an article, and “the sugar canes are putted” uses an incorrect past participle. The phrase “the sugar is kept is open container” also has a faulty verb pattern and article use. Passive forms are useful for process descriptions, but they need more consistent control: practise forms such as “the juice is purified” and “the crystals are separated.” These recurring errors limit accuracy even though the overall meaning can generally be followed.

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