Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-24

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 making of sugar from the sugar cane sticks.

Overall, one or one and half year old sugar canes are harvested and then crushed to get juice. Afterwhich the juice is purified and cooked on heat before centrifugation. The last part is cooling and drying the sugar.

Such lengthy process have only one significant difference, it requires either a local farmer or an advanced harvesting machine to cut the crops.

The sugar development is a long procedure that can be divied into distinguish phases. It is required to grow sugar canes for 1 to 1.5 years making it suitable for sugar production. These crops are then cut down and squeezed to collect all the juice in a container. As raw juice is collected, it is cleaned by moving it through a limestone filter. After this, the purified juice is converted into a syrup through evaporation process. Moving forward, sugar crystals are removed from the syrup and are kept in a cylinderical container to cool down.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response successfully covers all main stages of the sugar cane manufacturing process, from growing and harvesting through to crushing, purifying, evaporating, centrifuging, and finally drying and cooling. An overview is attempted in the second and third paragraphs, capturing the key phases and the alternative harvesting methods. However, the structure is somewhat fragmented into short, disjointed paragraphs rather than a cohesive report. The data from the diagram is generally reported accurately, though some phrasing is a bit informal or imprecise, such as 'cooked on heat'. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, satisfying the core requirements of an Academic Task 1 response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates an attempt at logical organisation, following the chronological sequence of the process from the initial growing stage to the final product. However, the paragraphing is poor and unconventional for an IELTS report, consisting of several very short, isolated paragraphs (including a one-sentence paragraph). While some cohesive devices and sequencing words are used, such as 'Afterwhich' and 'Moving forward', referencing and transitions between ideas feel abrupt and mechanical. A clearer overarching structure with an introduction, an overview, and well-organised body paragraphs would significantly improve the flow and coherence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with some appropriate process-related terms such as 'harvested', 'crushed', 'purified', 'evaporation', and 'crystals'. However, there are several lexical errors, awkward word choices, and spelling mistakes throughout the text. For example, 'sugar cane sticks' is unnatural, 'Afterwhich' is written as a single incorrect word instead of 'Afterwards', 'divied' is misspelled, and 'distinguish' is used instead of 'distinct'. While the writer attempts less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in word formation and collocation prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('that can be divied into') and participial phrases ('making it suitable'). However, grammatical errors and awkward phrasing recur throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement errors ('Such lengthy process have'), incorrect preposition use ('cooked on heat' instead of 'heated'), and spelling/word-form issues. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the grammatical inaccuracies occasionally cause minor strain for the reader. The frequency of these errors places the writing firmly in the Band 6 category.

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