Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-01
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 assigned pictorial representation depicts how sugar made from sugarcane.
Overall, it can be analysed from the chart that the manufacturing of sugar involves several steps, noticeably, it starts from planting of sugarcane and finishing in sugar.
In detail, it is observed from the picture that making sugar from the sugarcane ,firstly, planting the sugarcane and it takes one and half year to grow. Subsequently, after completing the period of growing, the time of harvesting approach and harvesting is done by manually and mechanically. Nextly, the sugarcane juice was squeezed by the jucer machine. In subsequent step, the juce was purified with the help of limestone filter. In next step, after filtration, the process of evaporation start to heat the juice. Further, the process of centrifuge separates crystal from syrup, after that, sugar was dried and cooled to translocated in a container and sugar is ready to sell in market.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You cover the main sequence from growing sugar cane to the finished sugar, and include the useful detail that growth takes one and a half years. You also report both harvesting methods and the key processing stages, including purification, evaporation and centrifuging. The overview identifies the start and end of the process, but “several steps” is general; it would be clearer to summarise the transformation from cane to juice, then syrup and sugar. Some details are unclear or go beyond the diagram: “sugar was dried and cooled to translocated in a container” misrepresents the final stage, and being “ready to sell in market” is not shown. Explain the stages more precisely and keep claims grounded in the visual.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response follows the process in the correct general order, and sequencing expressions such as “Subsequently,” “Nextly” and “Further” help the reader track the stages. The opening, overview and detail section also provide a basic structure. However, the progression feels mechanical because many steps are introduced with similar transition words, and the long final sentence combines centrifuging, drying, cooling, transport and sale. Some links are unclear, particularly “after completing the period of growing, the time of harvesting approach.” Use clearer paragraphing to separate the overview from the stages, and group related steps into shorter sentences. More precise links between each input and its resulting product would make the sequence easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “limestone filter,” “evaporation” and “centrifuge,” which helps communicate the diagram’s subject. There is some variety in the verbs used to describe stages, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “pictorial representation,” “juice was squeezed by the jucer machine,” and “translocated in a container.” Spelling errors in “jucer” and “juce” also reduce accuracy. “Crystal” should be plural when describing the separated sugar crystals. Aim for standard process collocations and consistent terms for the material at each stage—for example, cane is crushed to extract juice, which is heated to form syrup. This would make the vocabulary more precise and natural.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with sequencing clauses, so there is some structural variety. However, control is uneven, and several sentence patterns are faulty. For example, “making sugar from the sugarcane, firstly, planting the sugarcane” is not a complete grammatical clause, while “the process of evaporation start” has subject–verb disagreement. Tense also shifts between present and past (“is observed,” “was squeezed,” “was purified”), although a process description is best presented consistently in the present simple. Articles and sentence boundaries need attention too, as in “in subsequent step” and the extended final sentence. Build accurate short clauses first, then combine them with subordinate clauses where appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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