Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-09

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 flow chart illustrates the manufacturing process for producing sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, production of sugar consists of 7 major steps, beginning with the growing of sugar canes and ending with preparation of sugar.

At the first stage, cultivating the crop for 12 to 18 months produces sugar canes. Next, the sugar canes harvesting takes place in two methods either by hand picking or by the cutting machine. Total harvest is collected and made into bundles. Following this, the bundles of suger canes were sent into crushing machine and as a result sugar cane juice is obtained. After that the juice is purified using limestone filter.

In the next stage, the filtered juice is collected in a container and then start heating it slowly the water eveporates and juice is converted into sugar syrup. Subsequently, by using centrifuge force the sugar crystals are for

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a relevant overview of its direction, from growing sugar cane to the final sugar product. Several key stages are also reported, including harvesting, crushing, filtering and evaporation. However, the account is incomplete: it stops mid-sentence at “the sugar crystals are for” and does not explain the centrifuge’s separation of crystals from syrup or the final drying and cooling stage. The harvesting description also adds that the crop is “made into bundles,” which is not shown in the diagram. The response is five words below the required minimum. To improve, complete the final stages accurately and ensure the summary meets the stated length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the early stages and then the later processing. Sequencing expressions such as “At the first stage,” “Next,” “Following this,” and “Subsequently” help the reader follow the process. However, the final sentence is unfinished, so the progression breaks off before the process reaches its endpoint. Some links are also mechanical, with several stages introduced by similar transition phrases. Grouping the stages into clearer paragraphs and using references such as “the resulting juice” or “this syrup” would make connections smoother. A complete final paragraph describing separation, drying and cooling would strengthen the overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a generally relevant range of process vocabulary, including “manufacturing process,” “cultivating,” “purified,” “limestone filter,” “evaporates” and “centrifuge.” These terms help convey the main operations. However, some choices are inaccurate or awkward: “the sugar canes harvesting” and “by the cutting machine” are not natural descriptions, while “centrifuge force” does not clearly express the separation process. There are also spelling errors, including “suger” and “eveporates,” and “preparation of sugar” is less precise than naming the final drying and cooling stage. Aim for accurate process collocations and check spelling; for example, describe cane as being harvested mechanically or by hand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and longer sentences with sequencing clauses, as in “Following this, the bundles … were sent into crushing machine and as a result … juice is obtained.” The opening and overview are also grammatically clear. Some errors remain in sentence construction and verb forms: “the sugar canes harvesting takes place” has an awkward noun structure, and “the filtered juice is collected in a container and then start heating it” shifts to an unclear subject and verb form. The final clause, “the sugar crystals are for,” is incomplete and prevents the sentence from conveying its intended meaning. Work on maintaining a clear subject through each process step, using consistent tense, and proofreading sentence endings and articles.

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