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 diagram illustrates seven-steps process of making suger and showing how to make sugar from suger cane. Overall, it is a man made process and it begans with the growning sugar canne plants and concludes with drying and cooling process.

The first step of this process is growing cane sugar plants, after 12-18 months (when plants ready for cutting and making this process) start harvesting step (it is a second steps of this process) start the cutting of sugar cane by cutting machines and man made power. After cutting plants start with the crushing step, in this stage suger cane convert into sugar juice. Then started with purifying juice, in this step by limestone filter indentify unused and unsave elimates in the sugar juice.

After these steps, start with evaporayot machines, where juice convert become syrup shape. The second last step is a centrifuge, where indentify and sparates sugar crystals from syrup and find the best best vaulity of suger. The process completed with the drying and cooling where sugar start to drying and cooling then sugar ready for use after completed all these process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from growing cane through harvesting, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying and cooling, and you include the 12–18-month growing period. The overview correctly identifies the process’s beginning and end. However, some details are unclear or not supported by the diagram: the limestone filter is described as removing “unused and unsave” material, and the claim that centrifuging finds the “best quality” sugar is not shown. The diagram specifically indicates that this stage separates sugar crystals from syrup. The harvesting methods are also only broadly described; identify them as mechanical harvesting and manual cutting. A more precise overview and accurate descriptions of each stage would make the account more complete and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by the stages in process order. Sequencing expressions such as “The first step,” “After these steps,” and “The second last step” help the reader follow the progression. However, several sentences are overloaded, particularly the harvesting sentence, which combines the growing period, readiness for cutting, and harvesting methods. Some links are also awkward or repetitive, such as “After cutting plants start with the crushing step” and repeated uses of “step” and “process.” Use clearer sentence boundaries and group related stages into paragraphs—for example, cultivation and preparation first, then processing—to make progression smoother and references easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushing,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which helps communicate the stages. However, the range and control are limited by repeated wording and noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including “suger,” “growning,” “canne,” “evaporayot,” and “vaulity.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “man made power” does not clearly describe manual harvesting, while “find the best quality” is not an accurate description of separation. Aim for standard process collocations and precise verbs, such as “is crushed,” “is filtered,” and “crystals are separated from the remaining syrup.” Proofreading spelling would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use both simple and more complex forms, including the time clause “after 12–18 months” and the relative clause “where juice convert become syrup shape.” However, some sentence structures and verb forms are inaccurate, making parts difficult to read. For example, “it begans with the growning” has an incorrect verb form, and “sugar cane convert into sugar juice” lacks correct agreement and a passive construction. The long harvesting sentence also has unclear clause boundaries and tense control. Use consistent present simple passive forms for a process, such as “the cane is harvested,” “the stalks are crushed,” and “the juice is heated.” Check articles, agreement, and sentence punctuation while retaining some varied sentence structures.

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