Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-28

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 shows how sugar is produced from sugar cane.

1. Growing (12-18 months): To produce sugar we have to plant sugar cane. Watering the plant properly, using pesticides and fertilizers makes the sugar cane healthy and tasty. It takes about 12 to 18 months to grow.

2. Harvesting: Harvesting is done by using machines or by man (farmers) who will harvest the sugar cane using an equipment or tools.

3. Crushing: The harvested sugar cane is then put into the crushing machine which crushes the sugar cane. Outcome of this process is that we collect all juice inside sugar cane and the waste is thrown away.

4. Purifying: The collected juice is purified. The purifyer uses Limestone filter to filter the sugar cane juice.

5. Evaporator: The purified juice is then poured into a container which undergoes evaporation. On evaporating, the juice becomes syrup.

6. Centrifuge: Now the syrup is poured into the centrifuge. It seperates sugar crystal from syrup on rotating in a high speed.

7. Drying and cooling: The last and final step is drying. After seperating the sugar crystal, the crystala are allowed to dry and cool. Then we get our final product.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You cover the main stages in the correct order, from growing through to drying and cooling, and include the stated growing period and both harvesting methods. However, the account is partly incomplete and adds details not shown in the diagram: watering, pesticides, fertilisers, healthy or tasty cane, and waste being thrown away are not indicated. The overview is also implicit rather than clearly summarising the process as a whole. Some stages are described less precisely—for example, the diagram shows a limestone filter, an evaporator heated to turn juice into syrup, and a centrifuge separating crystals from syrup. Focus on these visible features and add a concise overview of the process’s progression from cane to sugar.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The numbered stages give the response a clear overall sequence, and the reader can follow the process from cultivation to the final product. The headings also help distinguish each stage. Connections between steps are sometimes mechanical, however, because the response relies heavily on the numbered list and repeated openings such as “The harvested sugar cane is then” and “The purified juice is then.” Some references are not fully clear, as in “It separates sugar crystal from syrup,” where the subject could be stated more directly. Grouping the stages into a short introduction and logically connected paragraphs, with varied transitions such as “Once filtered” or “The resulting syrup,” would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushing,” “evaporation,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which makes the stages recognisable. There is some range, but several choices are imprecise or repetitive: “by man” is less suitable than “by hand,” “equipment or tools” is vague, and “collect all juice inside sugar cane” is not a natural description of the output. Spelling errors such as “purifyer,” “seperates,” and “crystala” also reduce accuracy. Use the diagram’s specific terms consistently and choose precise process verbs, for example, “extracts the juice” and “separates sugar crystals from the remaining syrup.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple sentences and some more developed structures, such as “On evaporating, the juice becomes syrup” and “After separating the sugar crystal, the crystala are allowed to dry and cool.” Most meanings remain clear, and the stages are generally expressed in an understandable sequence. Some grammatical choices are awkward or inaccurate, including “Harvesting is done by using machines or by man … who will harvest,” which shifts construction and tense, and “The outcome of this process is that we collect,” which is less controlled than a direct passive description. Aim for consistent present-tense process language and check articles and number, as in “the sugar crystals” and “a limestone filter.”

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

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