Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-20

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 depicts the stages necessary for making sugar as a product in the form of crystals ready for comsumption from sugar canes.

First of all, sugar canes should be fully ripe, with a period of growing that is between 12 and 18 months maximum, before harvesting. Without respecting this time, the quality of sugar will be low.

After the harvesting, sugar canes must be crushed to produce juice. Then, this juice need to be purified by utilizing a limestone filter. This stage separate the liquid from any other solid objects that might be found in the mixture after crushing.

The sugar juice have to be evaporated by using heat through an evaporator to obtain syrup, which is processed by a centrifuge device to take sugar crystals.

Those crystals still contain water, so drying and cooling with the usage of heat and hot vapor are the final processes to have granular sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main stages of the sugar cane manufacturing process, from growing to final drying and cooling. An overview is present, and key stages such as crushing, purifying, evaporating, and centrifuging are correctly identified and reported in sequence. However, the student includes minor unsupported outside assumptions, such as 'Without respecting this time, the quality of sugar will be low,' which is not depicted in the diagram. Despite this slight digression into speculation, the main features of the visual data are clearly outlined and compared in terms of process progression. The response satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0, and is best placed at Band 6.5 due to minor over-generalisation and outside commentary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement and follows the chronological order of the manufacturing process logically. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all,' 'After the harvesting,' 'Then,' and 'Those crystals' are employed to guide the reader through the stages. Paragraphing, however, is slightly underdeveloped; the text is presented in a somewhat cramped manner rather than distinct, well-spaced paragraphs representing introduction, body, and conclusion. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional mechanical transitions keep the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the logical progression is maintained throughout, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using process-specific terms such as 'harvesting,' 'crushing,' 'limestone filter,' 'evaporator,' 'syrup,' and 'centrifuge device.' There are a few spelling and word-choice errors, notably 'comsumption' instead of 'consumption,' and awkward phrasing such as 'take sugar crystals' instead of 'extract sugar crystals.' The vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the mechanics of the diagram, though attempts at less common lexical items are occasionally hindered by minor inaccuracies that do not impede communication. This corresponds directly to a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('that might be found in the mixture') and passive constructions ('must be crushed,' 'need to be purified'). However, there are several noticeable grammatical and agreement errors throughout the text, including 'this juice need to be purified' (should be 'needs'), 'The sugar juice have to be evaporated' (should be 'has'), and missing articles in places. While these errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score, the meaning remains clear and communication is not seriously impeded, matching the criteria for Band 6.

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

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