Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 information about the process how sugar is produced from sugar cane

Overall, there are seven steps which are used for the manufacturing of suagr. All the steps are interlinked with each other, omission of any step may halt the whole step.

After analyzing, it can be clearly seen that in the first step, sugar canes growing into 12-18 months, in the next step, suagr canes are harvesting by farmer and store in lorry. After that, sugar canes crushing by crushing machine and sugar canes produced juice. Afterwords, the juice was filter by limestone.

The diagram further collates that, in the subsequent step, juice put into evaporator and juice becomes syrup the help of heat. Nextly, the syrup was centrifuge and sugar separates into crystals. In the final step, sugar was drying and cooling and sugar was ready.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and include the growing period of 12–18 months, the main processing steps, and the final drying and cooling. This gives the reader a broadly accurate account. However, some details are missing or unclear: the diagram shows harvesting by either machine or hand, but you mention only a farmer, and the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup rather than simply separating sugar. The overview also adds an unsupported claim that omitting a step would halt the process. Your response is 141 words, below the required 150, so it does not fully meet the task requirement. Add a little more precise detail about the two harvesting methods and the separation stage, while keeping the overview focused on the process’s main features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the stages from growing through to the finished sugar. Sequencing expressions such as “After that,” “Afterwards,” and “In the final step” help the reader follow the process. However, some links feel mechanical or are used inaccurately, including “After analyzing” and “The diagram further collates that.” The overview’s statement about omission halting the process interrupts the description rather than summarising a visible feature. Improve cohesion by using straightforward transitions and grouping stages consistently—for example, cultivation and harvesting first, then the processing stages. Clearer references to the material at each stage would also make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “manufacturing,” “limestone,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” and “crystals,” which helps communicate the main stages. There is some repetition of “sugar canes” and “step,” and several word choices or forms are inaccurate: “suagr” is misspelled, “collates” does not fit the meaning, and “the syrup was centrifuge” uses the wrong form of the technical term. “Store in lorry” also introduces a detail not shown in the diagram. These errors make the description less precise, although the general process remains understandable. Aim for accurate process collocations and vary repeated nouns with clear references such as “the cane” and “the juice.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the stages are generally presented in a readable order. However, grammatical errors occur frequently, particularly in passive constructions and verb forms. For example, “sugar canes growing into 12-18 months” needs a finite passive form, while “are harvesting by farmer” and “the juice was filter” have incorrect verb patterns. The sentence “juice put into evaporator” also lacks an auxiliary and articles. These problems sometimes make the relationships between actions less clear. Practise forming process descriptions with consistent present simple passive structures, such as “the cane is harvested” and “the juice is filtered,” and check articles and subject–verb agreement.

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.