Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 stipulated diagram depicts the information regarding the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, it is crystal clear that it is a man-made process has 7 predominant steps. it embarks with growing and ends at drying and cooling.

To commence with, the first step of this process is growing sugar canes in 12-18 months of time. Nextly, harvesting sugar cane crops by man or by agricultural machines. Prior to it, crushing the harvested sugar cane for separating juice. The next step is, purifying sugar cane juice by using limestone filter.

After that, transfer filtered juice in evaporator on heat to convert juice into thick syrup. lastly, centrifuge sugar for separating sugar crystals from syrup. Finally, drying nd cooling the sugar crystals and sugar is ready to eat by consumers.

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 to drying and cooling. Several key stages are also included, such as harvesting by hand or machine, crushing, filtering with limestone, heating the juice into syrup, and using a centrifuge. However, the final stage is inaccurately described: the diagram shows sugar being dried and cooled, not that it is “ready to eat by consumers.” Some steps are compressed or unclear, and the response does not fully explain the sequence or the separation of crystals from syrup. The response is also 27 words below the 150-word minimum; nine words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count. Develop the stages more fully and keep the description strictly tied to the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by stages in process order. Sequencing expressions such as “To commence with,” “Nextly,” and “After that” help the reader follow the general progression. However, some links are inaccurate or awkward, particularly “Prior to it,” which makes the crushing stage’s position unclear, and “Lastly” followed by “Finally,” which repeats the same sequencing function. The paragraphing is limited, and the second paragraph contains several stages in a compressed sequence. Use clear stage-to-stage links and group the process into logical phases, for example, cultivation and extraction followed by treatment and finishing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushing,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which allows the main stages to be recognised. There is also some attempt at more formal wording, such as “manufacturing process.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise: “stipulated diagram,” “Nextly,” “predominant steps,” and “ready to eat by consumers” do not fit this process description well. “Sugar cane crops” and “sugar crystals” could also be used more consistently to distinguish the plant from the final product. Aim for accurate process collocations and avoid decorative phrases such as “it is crystal clear,” which add little information.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer sequences, but the range is limited and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “it is a man-made process has 7 predominant steps” lacks a grammatical connection between its clauses, and “Nextly, harvesting sugar cane crops…” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. The phrase “growing sugar canes in 12-18 months of time” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between the duration and the action. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, as in “it embarks” after a full stop and the lower-case “lastly.” Build complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check clause connections and sentence boundaries.

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