Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 following diagram illustrates that how sugar is manufactured with the help of sugar canes. The following process consists of seven steps.

From growing the sugar canes to drying and cooking the sugar.

Placing look on the diagram, the sugar canes took from 12 to 18 months to grow. Then after their growth they have been harvested. This step also takes some time. After harvesting the sugar canes they are transmitted to the sugar industries. There sugar canes are crushed and the juice from them is taken out.

Furthermore, the juice is purified through the limestone filter. After this process, it went through the process of evaporation. In this the juice is converted into thick syrup with the help of heat. Moreover, then it passes through centrifuge process in which the sugar crystals are been separated from the syrup to make it clean.

However, after all this process finally the sugar is produced.

To sum up, it is a time-consuming process but according to our daily usage of sugar government should place more industries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven steps and report several key stages accurately, including the 12–18-month growing period, crushing, limestone filtration, evaporation with heat, and separation of crystals from syrup. However, the account does not fully cover the diagram: it omits the final drying and cooling stage, and it does not mention that harvesting can be mechanical or manual. The opening fragment, “From growing the sugar canes to drying and cooking the sugar,” does not provide a clear overview of the process, while the conclusion about governments building more industries is unsupported and outside the task. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the complete sequence and report only information shown in the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence, moving from growing and harvesting through processing, and paragraph breaks provide some organisation. Linking expressions such as “Then,” “Furthermore,” and “Moreover” help signal progression. However, the progression is weakened by the standalone fragment “From growing the sugar canes to drying and cooking the sugar,” and the final paragraph shifts from describing the diagram to recommending more industries. Some links are mechanical or unclear: “After this process, it went through the process of evaporation” has an unclear reference, and “However” does not express a contrast in its context. Organise the response into a clear introduction and overview, followed by stages in order, and use transitions that accurately show sequence or cause.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “limestone filter,” “evaporation,” “syrup,” and “sugar crystals,” which makes the main production stages understandable. The range is nevertheless limited and several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “Transmitted to the sugar industries” is not a natural way to describe the canes being moved to processing, and “drying and cooking” misnames the diagram’s final stage, which is drying and cooling. Phrases such as “this process” and “the process” recur, while “make it clean” is vague. Use precise process verbs and nouns, such as “transported,” “crushed,” “filtered,” and “cooled,” and avoid adding descriptions not supported by the diagram.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the sequence is generally understandable. However, errors in sentence formation and verb forms are frequent enough to limit clarity. The opening, “illustrates that how sugar is manufactured,” combines two incompatible structures; write either “illustrates how sugar is manufactured” or “shows that sugar is manufactured.” “The sugar canes took from 12 to 18 months to grow” is missing a suitable verb construction, and “the sugar crystals are been separated” has an incorrect passive form. Tense also shifts from past (“it went”) to present (“it passes”) without a clear reason. Practise consistent present-tense process descriptions and accurate passive forms, and check that each sentence has a complete grammatical structure.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.