Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-19

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 illustrates the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar can.

Overall, this process consist of seven stages beginning with the growth of sugar canes and ended up as a drying and cooling sugar.

This process starts with the growth of sugar canes up to 12 to 18 months. After that it was harvested by machine and farmer before being crushing in a machine.

Following that the juice was obtained after that this juice was purified by passing through a limestone filter. In the next stage, purifying juice was then evaporated through heat and becomes syrup. After this step, syrup is centrifuge at a roller machine in which it was separated from sugar crystals. Eventually, sugar was dried and cool

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as sugar production and include its main sequence, from cane growth through harvesting, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying. The overview also recognises that there are seven stages. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the canes are harvested either mechanically or by hand, rather than simply “by machine and farmer,” and the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from the remaining syrup, not sugar crystals from syrup as phrased. The final stage is left incomplete (“dried and cool”). The response is 114 words, below the required 150, so several stages receive little explanation. To improve, meet the minimum and describe the key inputs, outputs, and separation more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the diagram’s sequence, and phrases such as “After that,” “Following that,” and “In the next stage” help the reader track the stages. The opening overview also gives the process a clear starting point and endpoint. However, the account is presented as one paragraph, and several transitions are repetitive or awkward: “after that” appears twice close together, while “Following that the juice was obtained after that…” makes the progression harder to follow. Some references are also unclear, particularly “this juice” and “this step.” Use separate paragraphs for the overview and stage details, and connect each stage with concise, varied transitions and explicit references to the material being processed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “limestone filter,” “evaporated,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which allows the reader to understand the general production method. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “sugar can” should be “sugar cane,” “a roller machine” is not a precise description of a centrifuge, and “dried and cool” does not express the final stage naturally. Repetition of “process,” “juice,” and “after that” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise process terms such as “crushed,” “filtered,” and “separated,” and use accurate forms such as “drying and cooling” when naming the final stage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and linked sentences, and the overall sequence is usually understandable. However, errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “this process consist” needs subject–verb agreement, while “beginning … and ended up” mixes grammatical forms. Passive constructions are often faulty or inconsistent: “it was harvested … before being crushing” and “syrup is centrifuge” should use correctly formed passive verbs. The final clause, “sugar was dried and cool,” is incomplete in form. Practise consistent present simple passive structures for process descriptions, such as “the cane is harvested” and “the juice is filtered,” and check agreement and parallel forms in each sentence.

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