Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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)

Sugar is produced from sugar canes which signify the importance of the sugar canes fields that takes upto 18months to produce the sugar canes for the manfuacturing of sugar. The process is elaborate as following

At first the sugar canes fields are ready to harvest there are two ways of harvesting one of which is by machine more accurate and less time consuming meanwhile the other way to harvest required human labour for harvesting the sugar canes fields which is more time consuming but less cheap as compared to the machine harvesting.

So when the harvesting is done and sugar canes are saggregated for quality check and the approved one are add to the crushing machine which produces sugar cane juice which then is filttered in a funnel by lime stone filter.

After passing through the filter the juice enter the evaporator where juice is converted into the syrup which then passes the centrifuge to separate sugar crystal from syrup.

At last the the syrup is dried and cooled in the machine which the final step after which the sugar is ready to pack and to reach public.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the main sequence from growing and harvesting through crushing, filtering, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying. The overview that sugar cane is processed into sugar is present, and you correctly mention the 12–18-month growing period and both harvesting methods. However, some details are unclear or unsupported: the diagram does not show a quality check or rejected canes, and it does not say the final product is packed or delivered to the public. The final stage is drying and cooling the separated sugar crystals, not drying the syrup. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the linear process and report only what the diagram shows, including the role of the limestone filter and the separation of crystals from syrup.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The stages are generally presented in the correct order, and sequencing phrases such as “At first,” “So when,” “After passing through,” and “At last” help the reader follow the process. The response therefore has a coherent overall arrangement. However, it is written as one continuous block, and some transitions are mechanical or connect ideas unclearly. For example, “So when the harvesting is done” leads into an unsupported quality-check detail, while “which the final step” makes the relationship between drying, cooling, and the finished product difficult to follow. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and process details, and connect each stage directly to the next with clear references such as “The resulting juice” and “The crystals are then dried and cooled.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “crushing machine,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which helps communicate the stages. There is also some attempt at more specific description, such as “separate sugar crystal from syrup.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “sugar canes fields,” “saggregated,” “funnel,” and “less cheap.” Spelling errors such as “manfuacturing” and “filttered” also reduce precision. Choose terms that match the diagram and use natural process language: the canes are crushed, the juice is filtered, and crystals are separated. Avoid adding descriptions such as a quality check when they are not shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including longer clauses that describe several stages, and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, complex sentences are often not controlled accurately, and errors occur in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries. For example, “the sugar canes fields that takes” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “the approved one are add” has problems with number and passive verb form. In “the juice enter the evaporator,” the verb does not agree with its subject. The opening sentence also runs several ideas together without clear punctuation. Practise accurate passive constructions for processes, such as “the juice is filtered” and “the crystals are dried,” and check agreement and punctuation in each sentence.

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.