Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-18

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 process diagram illustrates how to produced suger through suger cane.

Overall , it can be seen that this process invoved seven steps starting with the growing suger canes plants and ending with the dry and cool suger for used.

To begin with, the suger canes are planted around 12 to 18 months , growing suger canes are harvested by use of machines or men . After that, harvested canes are crushed and produced juice used of crudhing machine. Once juice produced than after purifying juice through limestone filiter . concequently, evaporator stage juice becomes syrup transfer for heat . Forthermore, separted suger crystals from syrup by centrifuge . Lastely , manufacturing suger go for dryed and cooled stage and used .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a relevant overview from growing sugar cane to drying and cooling the final sugar. You also include the 12–18-month growing period, both harvesting methods, crushing, purification, evaporation and centrifuging, so the main sequence is recognisable. However, several stages are compressed or unclear: for example, “juice becomes syrup transfer for heat” does not clearly explain the evaporation stage, and the final phrase “and used” adds an unsupported outcome. The response is also 27 words below the required minimum, leaving little room to describe the diagram’s details fully. Develop each stage more clearly and state that the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the diagram’s general order, and the overview helps signal the process’s beginning and end. Sequencing expressions such as “To begin with,” “After that,” and “Lastely” also show an attempt to guide the reader. However, most information is placed in one paragraph, and several transitions do not make the relationships between stages clear. For instance, “Once juice produced than after purifying juice” is difficult to follow, while “Forthermore” does not accurately signal the next step in a sequence. Use separate overview and process paragraphs, and connect stages with precise links such as “The resulting juice is then purified” and “Next, it is heated until it becomes syrup.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crushed,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge.” These terms show awareness of the diagram’s subject. However, the range is limited, and repeated misspellings—“suger,” “crudhing,” “filiter,” and “separted”—make the description less clear and reduce precision. Some word combinations are also unnatural, such as “dry and cool suger for used” and “juice used of crudhing machine.” Aim to use accurate process collocations and vary verbs where appropriate, for example, “passes through,” “is heated,” and “is separated.” Proofreading spelling and word forms would make your technical vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both an overview sentence and longer sentences describing several stages, but the range of sentence structures is limited and many attempts are faulty. Examples include “how to produced” and “the suger canes are planted around 12 to 18 months,” where verb forms and sentence patterns are not controlled. In “Once juice produced than after purifying juice,” the clause lacks a clear grammatical structure, and the final sentence does not form a complete, clear statement. These errors sometimes make the process difficult to understand. Practise using accurate passive forms for process descriptions, such as “The canes are harvested” and “The juice is purified,” and build each stage into a complete sentence with consistent tense.

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.