Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-10

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 illustrates the procedure of how to make sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, there are seven steps. All the steps are interlinked with each other. Omission, any step may halt the whole process.

after analyzing, it can be clearly seen that in the first step, sugar cane is grow in soil in 12 -18 months. Nextly, sugar canes harvested by farmer. After that sugar canes put into truck and transport to factory. However, sugar canes are crushing with the help of machine and the produce juice. in addition, juice is filter by limestone.

The diagram further collates, in the following step, the juice become syrup with the help of heat. Then, the sugar crystals sepreated from syrup. In the final step, sugar crystals is cooling and dried and sold into market.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and describe its main sequence, including growing, harvesting, crushing, filtering, evaporation, separation and drying. The stated growing period is also accurate. However, the account is incomplete and includes unsupported details: the diagram does not show the canes being put into a truck or the finished sugar being sold. It also omits the limestone filter’s role and the final cooling stage, and does not clearly explain that the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup. The overview mainly counts the steps rather than summarising the process’s key features. The response is also below the required 150 words. To improve, report each stage precisely and use the overview to capture the transformation from cane to sugar.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the stages in sequence. Sequencing expressions such as “Nextly,” “After that,” and “In the final step” help the reader follow the process. However, some links are mechanical or awkward, and the progression is interrupted by unsupported information about transport and sale. The overview’s statement that the steps are “interlinked” adds little, while “Omission, any step may halt the whole process” is unclear and does not connect smoothly to the description. Improve cohesion by grouping stages into clear phases and using accurate transitions, while ensuring each sentence advances the process rather than adding speculation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “limestone,” “syrup,” and “sugar crystals,” so the reader can generally understand the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate: “Nextly” is not a natural sequencing adverb, “the diagram further collates” is unsuitable here, and “sold into market” is an awkward, unsupported phrase. Spelling errors such as “sepreated” also reduce precision. Aim for standard process language and accurate collocations, for example “the juice is filtered through limestone” and “crystals are separated from the syrup.” Avoid adding stages not shown in the diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly simple sentences and attempts a few longer structures, such as “After that sugar canes put into truck and transport to factory.” However, this sentence and several others have errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction. Examples include “sugar cane is grow,” “sugar canes are crushing,” “the juice become syrup,” and “sugar crystals is cooling and dried.” Capitalisation after full stops is also inconsistent, as in “after analyzing” and “in addition.” These errors sometimes make the process description difficult to follow. Practise accurate passive forms for process stages, such as “the canes are crushed” and “the juice is heated,” alongside correct subject–verb agreement and sentence punctuation.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.