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 detailed process shows steps of extraction of sugar from sugar cane.This process is carried out in 7 steps.

Starting from the raw material,it takes 12 to 18 months for sugar cane to grow.After a time period of 12 to 18 months the sugar cane is harvested either manually or by a harvesting machine.Then the harvested sugar cane is crushed to extract sugar cane juice

In the fourth step the sugar cane juice is purified by passing it through a limestone filter.It is then poured in container and heated .The process is carried out in an evaporator .In this process the juice becomes syrup.The syrup is then centrifuged to seperate the sugar crystal from the syrup.On drying and cooling the syrup, end product so obtained is sugar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence of seven stages and report several key details accurately, including the 12–18-month growing period, the two harvesting methods, crushing, limestone filtration, evaporation and centrifuging. However, the response does not provide a clear overview of the process’s overall transformation from cane to finished sugar, and the final stage is described imprecisely: it is the sugar crystals that are dried and cooled, not the syrup. The account also gives limited detail about the centrifuge’s separation of crystals from syrup. In addition, the response is 127 words, below the required 150, so the process is not sufficiently developed. Add a concise overview and clarify the final stages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in the correct order, and sequencing phrases such as “Starting from” and “In the fourth step” help the reader follow the process. The paragraphing, however, is limited: the response has no distinct overview, and most of the stages are compressed into one long paragraph. Some links between steps are also abrupt, particularly the move from purification to heating and then centrifuging. Use a separate overview followed by a clearly organised description of the stages, and connect each transformation explicitly—for example, explain that the purified juice is heated until it becomes syrup before the syrup enters the centrifuge. This would create clearer progression and reduce the list-like effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crushed,” “purified,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator” and “centrifuged,” which makes the main stages understandable. However, some expressions are awkward or imprecise, such as “steps of extraction of sugar,” “a time period,” and “On drying and cooling the syrup.” The last phrase also misidentifies what is dried and cooled: the diagram labels the final stage as drying and cooling the sugar. Spelling errors in “seperate” and “crystal” (where the plural is needed) reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process collocations, such as “sugar-production process,” “after 12–18 months,” and “the crystals are dried and cooled.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and some longer structures, such as “After a time period … the sugar cane is harvested either manually or by a harvesting machine.” Most stages remain understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. There are missing spaces after full stops and commas, and punctuation is inconsistent, as in “sugar cane.This” and “heated .” The final sentence, “On drying and cooling the syrup, end product so obtained is sugar,” lacks an article before “end product” and has an awkward clause structure. The sentence about the evaporator also shifts between passive and active constructions without a clear subject. Use complete, consistently punctuated sentences and practise accurate passive forms, which suit descriptions of manufacturing processes.

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