Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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)

First of all , seeds of sugar cane are sowed in the fields. Farmers use different tools for this purpose. When this process is completed , then water is given to the fields. Once the fields are watered , then the farmers took good care of their crops for 12-18 months. Once the cops are fully grown , they are harvested by different methods including by-hand and through agricultural machines. After that , it is transferred to factories where it is crushed into pieces and then it is further passed through several machines where it's juice is purified in a limestone filter. Once it is done, juice is heated at a specific flame and it takes the shape of a syrup. Syrup is then passed through a machine called centrifuge which separates sugar crystals from syrup. Then comes the final process in which sugar crystals are dried and cool down. Sugar is now ready.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You describe the main sequence from growing sugar cane through harvesting, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying, and you correctly include the 12–18-month growing period and the two harvesting methods. However, the account is only partly accurate and developed: the diagram begins with growing sugar cane, not sowing seeds, watering fields, or farmers caring for crops, so these details are unsupported. The overview is also implicit rather than clearly identifying the process as a sequence that turns cane into sugar. Some stages are compressed into vague wording such as “passed through several machines.” Focus on the labelled stages and give a concise overview before describing the process in order.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in a sensible chronological order, and linking expressions such as “After that,” “Once it is done,” and “Then” help the reader follow the process. This gives the response an overall progression. However, the repeated use of “Once” and “then” makes the linking somewhat mechanical, and the whole account is presented as one paragraph rather than being organised into an overview and a detailed process description. Some references are also unclear: “it is transferred to factories” does not specify whether “it” means the cane or the crop. Use paragraphing to separate the overview from the stages, and vary transitions while making each stage’s subject explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crushed,” “purified,” “limestone filter,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which allows the reader to understand the main production stages. There is some useful variety in describing the machinery and actions. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for a process description: “specific flame” is not shown in the diagram, “takes the shape of a syrup” is awkward, and “good care of their crops” adds unsupported detail. “Cops” appears to be a spelling error for “crops,” while “it's juice” uses the wrong form. Choose precise process terms such as “heated” and “converted into syrup,” and avoid adding details not shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, using time clauses such as “Once the fields are watered” and “Once the crops are fully grown.” Most stages remain understandable, and the sequence is expressed through complete sentences. However, there are recurring errors in tense, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “the farmers took good care” shifts into the past while the rest of the process is mainly in the present; “it is transferred” has an unclear subject and singular reference; and “sugar crystals are dried and cool down” does not maintain a parallel passive structure. Punctuation spacing is also inconsistent, with spaces before commas. Use the present simple consistently for a general process and check agreement, reference, and parallel verb forms.

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