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)

This diagram illustrates the manufacturing process for making sugar from the sugar cane into seven stages that start from growing and end at dying and cooling.

By describing from the first step which is growing, in this step sugar canes grow in between 12-18 months. After that the process of harvesting starts in which can be done by two methods. One can be done through crane and other by humans, then the third step of crushing begins. All the collected sugar cane put into the machine and juice come out of it.

Moreover, filtration procedure starts in which through a limestone filter all the extracted juice are purified. Then the juice added into a containter for heating into the flame so that juice becomes syrup through evaporation. In the second last step (centrifuge) all the sugar crystals separates from the syrup.

Finally, the last step comes in

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and report several key details accurately, including the 12–18-month growing period, the two harvesting methods, crushing, limestone filtration, evaporation and centrifuging. However, the response does not fully summarise the diagram: it ends with “Finally, the last step comes in” and gives no account of drying and cooling or the final sugar product. The overview is also limited to saying the process starts with growing and ends with drying and cooling, without clearly describing the transformation from cane to sugar. The response is three words below the required minimum. To improve, complete the final stage and provide a concise overview of the whole sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in the correct order, and paragraphing separates the opening from the process details. Sequencing phrases such as “After that,” “Moreover,” “Then” and “Finally” help the reader follow the production stages. However, the progression is interrupted by the unfinished final sentence, “Finally, the last step comes in,” which leaves the account incomplete. Some links are also mechanical or awkward, particularly “By describing from the first step” and “in which,” repeated across the response. Organise the process into a clear introduction and overview, followed by logically grouped stages, and use direct transitions such as “Next” or “In the final stage” to make the sequence smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushing,” “limestone filter,” “evaporation” and “centrifuge,” which allows the reader to recognise the main operations. There is some variety in how you describe the stages, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “crane” does not describe the mechanical harvesting equipment shown, “contain­ter” is misspelled, and “dying and cooling” changes the meaning of “drying and cooling.” Phrases such as “juice come out of it” are also informal and imprecise for an academic process description. Choose exact labels from the diagram and use standard process collocations, for example, “mechanical harvester,” “the juice flows out,” and “the sugar is dried and cooled.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “After that the process of harvesting starts in which can be done by two methods.” The main sequence is usually understandable, but errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction recur. For example, “All the collected sugar cane put into the machine” lacks a finite verb, while “juice come out” and “all the sugar crystals separates” have subject–verb agreement errors. “All the extracted juice are purified” also mismatches the singular noun and verb. The final sentence is incomplete, and the opening phrase “By describing from the first step” is not a well-formed construction. Practise accurate passive forms for process descriptions, such as “the cane is crushed” and “the juice is purified,” and check agreement and sentence completeness.

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