Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10

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 represents the process of extracting sugar from the sugar cane.

The sugar cane is converted into sugar in 7 stages .

The first stage is to grow the crops , usually it takes minimum of 12 month to grow into a fully grown ready to harvest sugar cane or the time may exceed to 18 month on maximum. After the plant is ready, it is manually or mechanically harvested. Harvesting them physically takes less labor cost but requires more hard work and time on the other hand doing it with harvesters makes the work fast. After the harvesting stage the sugar cane is placed in a crusher where the juice is extracted from the sugar cane .The juice is then taken to the purifying filter .The filter is made of Limestone .It cleans all sort of impurities from it. The juice we get from the purifier is then heated on high flame in an evaporator where the juice transforms into a syrup. The syrup obtained is then taken to the centrifuge machine in which the sugar crystals are separated from the syrup due to the centrifugal force . The sugar we get is then placed in the separate container where it

is set aside for drying and cooling.

So i think the whole process of getting sugar from sugar cane may require up-to 19 to 20 months.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main stages of the process, but it lacks a clear overview of the overall manufacturing cycle. While you identified the stages, you included extraneous information not present in the diagram, such as the comparison of manual versus mechanical harvesting costs and labor, which is not relevant to the provided visual. To reach a higher band, focus strictly on describing the stages shown in the diagram without adding external opinions or subjective commentary. The concluding sentence is also unnecessary as it introduces information not supported by the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized chronologically, which is appropriate for a process description. However, the paragraphing is poor; the entire body is presented as a single block of text, which hinders readability. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'After the harvesting stage', 'The juice is then'), the flow is somewhat mechanical. To improve, you should group related stages into distinct paragraphs—for example, one for the initial growth and harvesting, and another for the factory processing stages—to create a more logical structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'centrifugal force', 'impurities', and 'evaporator'. However, there are some awkward word choices and phrasing, such as 'physically' instead of 'manually' and 'all sort of impurities' instead of 'all sorts of impurities'. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on more precise collocations and avoiding informal phrasing like 'So i think' will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('in a crusher', 'to the purifying filter'), inconsistent capitalization ('i'), and punctuation issues (e.g., spaces before commas). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the process, they are frequent enough to impact the overall accuracy. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles when describing technical processes.

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

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