Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-03
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 how sugar are manufactured. There are eight main stages in the process, starting with growing the sugar canes and ending with drying and cooling the sugar.
At first, growing the sugar canes into land around 12 to 18 months. After that, when the sugar canes are ready for harvesting, then the farmer or the harvesting machines harvest the sugar canes.
In the next stage, harvested sugar canes sent into crushing machine, where sugar canes are convert into juice. After that, the juice sent in the limestone filter. In limestone filter the juice become purified and then it sent into evaporator, where the juice become syrup in the process of heating the purified juice.
Next, the syrup sent into centrifuge, where sugar crystals are separate from the syrup with the help of centrifuge. Finally, the syrup delivered into one tub, where syrup are drying and cooling, then the syrup made in the form of sugar.
Overall, this is the process of manufacturing the sugar from the sugar cane, with the help of growing, crushing and some other methods.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all stages of the process, from growing to the final product. However, the overview is weak; it simply repeats the prompt rather than highlighting the main features or trends of the process. While the sequence is logical, the description of the stages lacks detail in some areas, such as the specific role of the centrifuge or the transition between the evaporator and the centrifuge. To reach a higher band, you should provide a more analytical overview that synthesizes the information rather than just listing the steps, and ensure that the technical transitions are described with greater precision.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the process. You use cohesive devices such as 'At first', 'After that', 'In the next stage', and 'Finally' to link the steps. However, the use of these devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical. Some sentences are slightly disjointed due to missing articles or awkward phrasing, which occasionally disrupts the flow. To improve, try to vary your linking words and use more sophisticated referencing to connect ideas across sentences, rather than relying on a simple chronological list.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the manufacturing process clearly. You use relevant technical terms like 'harvesting', 'crushing', 'evaporator', and 'centrifuge'. However, there is a lack of variety, and some word choices are imprecise or repetitive, such as using 'the juice' or 'the syrup' repeatedly. There are also minor errors in word form, such as 'growing the sugar canes into land' (should be 'on land') and 'made in the form of sugar'. Expanding your range of verbs and nouns would help elevate the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('The diagram illustrate', 'sugar are manufactured', 'juice sent in') and the omission of articles ('in limestone filter'). These errors are noticeable throughout the text. While they do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, and try to incorporate more complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.
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