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 below picture gives the information about the steps involved in making of the sugar from the sugar cane. The process of manufacturing sugar involves 7 major steps growing, harvesting, crushing, purifying, evaporating, cetrifuge, drying and cooling.

At first, the crop grows takes time up to 12-18 months, after that farmers cuts the canes and sent it to for harvesting in this step they remove leaves and cuts into smaller pieces. Then the small canes sent into crushing machine to make juice and filter the juice using the limestone filter.

After that juice turns into the syrup by heating them in a evaporator, then seperates the sugar crystals from the syrup. The last step is the drying and cooling of the crystals and make ready for to sell in market.

These all steps helps to produce the sugar from raw material sugar canes. Thus the actual sugar is ready to use and sell for customers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence of stages and include the growing period, crushing, juice purification, evaporation, separation, and final drying and cooling. This gives the reader a generally relevant account of how sugar is produced. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: harvesting is described as farmers cutting the canes and removing leaves, whereas the diagram shows two harvesting methods and does not specify leaf removal or cutting into smaller pieces. The centrifuge stage is also not clearly explained as separating sugar crystals from syrup. The overview mainly lists stages rather than highlighting the process’s overall progression from growing cane to finished sugar. To strengthen the response, report the two harvesting methods and explain the key transformation at each processing stage accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows the diagram’s general order, and sequencing phrases such as “At first,” “After that,” and “The last step” help the reader track the process. The paragraphing also separates the opening from the main sequence. However, some links are mechanical, and the long second paragraph combines several stages without clear boundaries. In “farmers cuts the canes and sent it to for harvesting,” the relationship between harvesting and the later stages becomes difficult to follow. The final two sentences repeat the idea that sugar is produced and ready for sale rather than adding a distinct concluding feature. Use clearer stage-by-stage transitions and paragraph breaks, and make references such as “it” and “them” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “crushing machine,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” and “sugar crystals,” which helps convey the subject. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision. “Cetrifuge” and “seperates” are misspelled, while “sent it to for harvesting” and “make ready for to sell” are unnatural expressions. “Farmers” and “crop” are understandable, but more precise terms such as “sugar cane” and “harvested” would suit a process description better. Aim to use accurate technical terms consistently and avoid repeating “sugar” and “steps” where a more specific reference to the product or stage is possible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, and the sequence is mostly understandable. However, errors occur frequently, particularly in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “the crop grows takes time” combines structures incorrectly; “farmers cuts” has subject–verb disagreement; and “the small canes sent into crushing machine” is missing a finite verb and an article. The sentence beginning “After that juice turns into the syrup” also shifts awkwardly between stages and uses unclear pronoun reference in “heating them.” These problems sometimes make the process difficult to follow. Practise writing one complete sentence for each stage, checking subject–verb agreement and articles, and use passive forms where appropriate, such as “the juice is heated.”

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