Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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)

As the diagram shows the process of making sugar from sugar cane, starts from planting sugar cane which takes roughly about 12 to 18 months to fully mature after which the crops are ready.

When the crops have fully developed then comes the process of harvesting which can be done by either machinery or manual labor but manual labor is time consuming process and it would be wise to use the machinery.

After that comes the process of crushing the sugar cane and extracting their juices in a container where limestone filters are used for the fourth stage where the juice is purified.

For the fifth stage the purified juice are added to a heating container where the water from the purified juice evaporates and a thick syrup is left behind.

Next comes the dtage of centrifuge where the syrup is add to a rotating chambers which separate the sugar crystals from the syrup.

Lastly, the crystals are stored in another container for drying cooling. After these seven stages the process of making sugar from sugar cane is completed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence from growing through harvesting, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying/cooling, and you correctly include the 12–18-month growing period and the two harvesting methods. However, the account is mainly a stage-by-stage description rather than a concise overview of the process’s overall pattern. Some details are unclear or not shown in the diagram: for example, saying manual harvesting is time-consuming and machinery is wiser adds an unsupported judgement, while describing water evaporating and crystals being stored goes beyond the labels provided. Clarify the key transformations—juice becomes syrup, then crystals are separated—and avoid adding assumptions. A more explicit overview would make the main features and progression clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are presented in the correct order, and sequencing phrases such as “After that,” “Next,” and “Lastly” help the reader follow the process. The response also uses separate paragraphs, giving it some organisation. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical because most stages are introduced with similar time-order expressions, and the opening sentence is awkwardly constructed, which weakens the start. Connections between stages could be clearer: for instance, explain directly that the extracted juice is filtered before it is heated into syrup. The final sentence repeats that the process has seven stages rather than adding a useful concluding overview. Grouping the stages into a clear introduction/overview and connected process paragraphs would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushing,” “purified,” “evaporates,” and “centrifuge,” so the reader can understand the general production sequence. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or informal. “Their juices” is imprecise for the liquid extracted from cane, “manual labor” is less suitable than a neutral description of hand harvesting, and “rotating chambers” does not clearly name the centrifuge. There is also a spelling error in “dtage,” and “stored in another container” is not supported by the diagram. Aim for precise process terms and natural combinations, such as “extract the juice,” “pass it through a limestone filter,” and “separate sugar crystals from the remaining syrup.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts some longer sentences, including the opening clause about the growing period and the sentence describing purification, but control is uneven and several sentence patterns are faulty. The opening, “As the diagram shows …, starts from planting,” lacks a clear grammatical subject for “starts.” There are also agreement and verb-form errors in “the purified juice are added” and “the syrup is add,” as well as an incomplete construction in “for drying cooling.” Some sentences are understandable, but these recurring errors make the description less smooth. Use a clear subject in each sentence, check singular/plural agreement, and form passive process descriptions consistently—for example, “The juice is heated” and “The syrup is then spun in a centrifuge.”

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