Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-29

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 converting sugar cane into sugar.

Overall, seven steps includes in the manufacturing process of sugar. The period of about 1.5 year is taken by sugar canes to grow. The process begins with the harvesting of crops and theproduct is extracted by the process called drying and cooling.

To initiate with the first process that is the growth of sugar canes which are able to harvest after twelve to eighteen months. The second process is the harvesting and cutting of crops by harvesting machine or by own. After this the crops are gather up and then goes into the crushing process by which the juice is extracted from the canes.

Fourth process is to purify the juice by using a funnel in which their is a limestone filter. When the juice getted purified then it is transfer into the evaporator, where it is heated by which it bacomes a syrup. The following process is called centrifuge in which the syrup is spinned by which the heavy items get out of the circle. These items were called sugar and in the resulting phase it undergoes drying and cooling process after which the sugar is ready to use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as converting sugar cane into sugar and include the main stages, from growing and harvesting through crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying. The growth period of 12–18 months is also accurately reported. However, the overview is not fully clear: saying the product is extracted by “drying and cooling” confuses the final stage with the earlier extraction of juice. Some details are imprecise or unsupported, such as describing the limestone filter as a “funnel” and saying “heavy items” are removed in the centrifuge; the diagram shows sugar crystals being separated from syrup. To strengthen the response, give a concise, accurate overview of the sequence and explain the key transformations more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is divided into an introduction, an overview, and a longer description, and it generally follows the process in sequence. Connectors such as “After this,” “When,” and “The following process” help the reader track the stages. However, progression is weakened by the overview’s unclear statement about extraction and by the abrupt shift from the centrifuge to “These items,” whose reference is not clear. Several transitions are repetitive, and the numbered phrasing (“Fourth process”) does not always create smooth links between steps. Organise the stages into clearer groups and use precise references—for example, state explicitly that the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from the remaining syrup.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushing,” “purify,” “evaporator,” and “centrifuge,” which helps communicate the stages. There is some attempt to describe technical actions, but several word choices are inaccurate or unnatural and reduce precision: “by own,” “funnel,” “heavy items,” and “spinned” do not describe the diagram appropriately. “Crops” is also less precise than “sugar cane” in this context, while “ready to use” adds an unsupported implication. Aim for accurate process collocations and use the diagram’s terminology where possible, such as “limestone filter,” “sugar crystals,” and “syrup.” This would make the account clearer without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “which” and “where,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in basic agreement and verb forms: “seven steps includes,” “the crops are gather up,” “the juice getted purified,” and “it bacomes a syrup.” There are also problems with articles and sentence construction, as in “by own,” and the long sentence beginning “The following process is called centrifuge” becomes difficult to follow. These errors sometimes make relationships between actions unclear. Practise accurate passive forms for process descriptions—for example, “the juice is heated” and “the crystals are separated”—and check subject–verb agreement and past participles before submitting.

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