Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-25

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 diagram illustrates the production process for forming sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the sugar production invovles a complex and time taking process. After growth of sugar cane, it invovles harvesting and crushing process. A purified juice is then heated and centrifuged. Crystals of sugar are dried and cooled. At the end of the process, pure sugar is produced.

At first, sugar cane crop is grown by farmers. It takes 12-18 months. After enough growth of sugar cane, it is harvested by agriculture machinery and labours. Then crushing of sugar canes is done to make juice. Juice produced from sugar canes is then purified through a limestone filter.

After heating the juice becomes syrup. After wards, crystals of sugar are separated from syrup through centrifugation. These crystals are dried and cooled. Then a purified sugar is produced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main stages in the correct order, include the 12–18-month growing period, and give an overview from harvesting through to dried sugar. However, the overview calls the process “complex and time taking” rather than highlighting its key transformation from cane to juice, syrup, and crystals. Some details are incomplete: the diagram shows harvesting by either machinery or by hand, but “labours” does not clearly convey the manual method; it also shows heat applied in an evaporator and a final drying-and-cooling stage. The response is 13 words below the required minimum, which limits the opportunity to report these features fully. Add precise details from the diagram and avoid unsupported claims such as “pure” sugar.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence and is divided into an overview and a stage-by-stage account, so the reader can follow the process. Time and sequence markers such as “At first,” “Then,” and “After” help connect the stages. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical because “After” is repeated, and the final sentence repeats the idea that sugar is produced after already describing the crystals being dried and cooled. Some links could be more precise: for example, explain that the evaporated juice becomes syrup before the centrifuge separates the crystals. A more developed paragraph structure and less repetition would make the account flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crushing,” “limestone filter,” “syrup,” and “centrifugation,” which allows the main stages to be understood. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “forming sugar” is less suitable than “producing sugar,” “time taking” is awkward, and “agriculture machinery and labours” does not clearly describe the two harvesting methods. There are also spelling errors in “invovles” and “After wards.” Aim for precise process terms and natural collocations, and check spelling carefully. Using “manual harvesting” alongside “mechanical harvesting” would report the diagram more accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate the sequence using a mixture of simple sentences and some subordinate structures, such as “After enough growth of sugar cane, it is harvested…” Most sentences are understandable, and the process remains clear. Some grammatical patterns are awkward or incomplete, however. In “After heating the juice becomes syrup,” the opening phrase can momentarily attach to the wrong subject; write “After the juice is heated, it becomes syrup.” “After growth of sugar cane” and “Then crushing of sugar canes is done” also show limited control of article use and sentence construction. Try varying active and passive forms consistently, and use complete clauses to describe each stage.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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