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 given diagram shows information about the process for making sugar from sugar cane.

In general, it can be clearly seen that the process of sugar cane have several stages and all the stages are essential to complete the process.

Looking at the diagram in more detail, when the sugar canes were grown between 12-18 months sugar canes were harvested with thw help of machines or even by people. In the next step, sugar canes were crushed by the machines and sueez juice from it. In the fourth step, the juice was purified with the help of limestone filter. The juice was evaporated inti the heat to make syrup from juice.

Moving to the next stage, centrifuge was used to seprate the sugar crustals from syrup. In the final step, make sugar dried and cooled and then sugar was stored in a can.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and report most of its main stages, including the 12–18-month growing period, two harvesting methods, crushing, limestone filtration, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying and cooling. However, the overview is general rather than highlighting the key transformation from cane to juice, syrup, and finally sugar. Some details are unclear or unsupported: “squeez juice” does not clearly explain that juice flows out of the crusher, and the diagram does not show sugar being stored in a can. The response is also 7 words below the required minimum, which limits the opportunity to describe the stages fully. Develop the overview and add accurate detail about the outputs at each stage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence and is divided into an introduction, a general overview, and two body paragraphs. Linking phrases such as “In general,” “Looking at the diagram in more detail,” and “Moving to the next stage” help guide the reader through the process. However, the progression is not always smooth: the first body paragraph covers several stages in one long sentence, while the second is very brief. Some references are also unclear, particularly “from it” and “make sugar dried and cooled.” Use more precise links between stages and ensure each sentence clearly identifies what is being processed. A more balanced description of the later stages would also improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crushed,” “purified,” “limestone filter,” “evaporated,” and “centrifuge,” which allows the reader to recognise most stages. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “thw,” “sueez,” “inti,” “seprate,” and “crustals” make key details harder to read. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “evaporated into the heat” and “sugar was stored in a can”; the latter adds a detail not shown in the diagram. Aim for accurate process collocations, for example, say that juice is heated in an evaporator and that crystals are separated from syrup. Proofreading technical terms would strengthen clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some longer structures, including the time clause “when the sugar canes were grown between 12-18 months” and the sequence of stages in the body paragraphs. The overall meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the process of sugar cane have several stages” has subject–verb agreement and article problems, while “when the sugar canes were grown” uses an awkward tense for a general process. The final sentence, “make sugar dried and cooled,” lacks a clear subject and verb structure. Use the present simple consistently for process descriptions, and check agreement, articles, and complete sentence patterns. More accurate control of these forms would make the sequence easier to follow.

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