Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18

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 the process of how sugar is produced from sugar cane.

Overall, there are seven steps in total to make a sugar cane which begins with growing the plant and letting it grow for several months which is then harvested and crushed to seperate the juice. The juice is then purified and evaporated to make a syrup. Furthermore, the sugar crystals are separated known as centrifuge and finaaly it is kept for drying and colling.

Fristly, the sugar canes are grown for 12-18 months and then harvested which can be done in two ways by cutting or by using a trackor that can collect more sugar cane at a time. Next, they are crushed and the juice is collected and later purified through limestone filter. Furthermore, evaporator is used to make the syrup by boiling the juice and followed by centrifuge which separates sugar crystals from the syrup. Finally, the sygar is produced and kept for drying and cooling.

There are several steps to manufacture sugar from sugar cane beginning from growing to drying and cooling the sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies all the key stages of the sugar cane manufacturing process, from growing and harvesting through to drying and cooling. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, outlining the seven main steps. The two harvesting methods (manual and mechanical) are correctly noted. However, the summary tends to rely heavily on simple sequencing without deeply expanding on the mechanisms shown in the diagram, such as detailing how the evaporator applies heat or how the centrifuge specifically operates. Despite this, all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, fulfilling the core requirements of Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a clear overarching structure with an introduction, body paragraph, and an unnecessary concluding paragraph that essentially repeats the introduction. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Next', 'Furthermore', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the linear stages of the process. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak; the body text is compressed, and the final paragraph is redundant. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression suffers slightly from repetitive framing at the beginning and end of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for describing a process, incorporating terms directly from the diagram such as 'harvested', 'crushed', 'purified', 'evaporator', and 'centrifuge'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('seperate', 'finaaly', 'colling', 'Fristly', 'trackor', 'sygar') and some awkward phrasing like 'to make a sugar cane' instead of 'to produce sugar from sugar cane'. Less common lexical items are attempted, but inaccuracies in spelling and word form prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('that can collect more sugar cane at a time') and passive constructions ('the juice is then purified'). While basic grammar is generally controlled, there are frequent punctuation and grammatical errors, particularly regarding comma splices and spelling, which detract from the overall fluency. Complex structures are attempted with varying degrees of success, but communication is not impeded by these mechanical issues.

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

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