Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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 illustration depicts how sugar manufacturing from first step to the last one.

The 7-step cycle begins with growing sugar cenes. This plants need minimum 1 year to grow enough in order to used for sugar making process. The procces ends with drying and cooling of the sugar.

The process start with sugar canes, for harvesting it needs to be minimum 1 years or even more. When people cut cenes they put it on the lorries to transorm specialised facilities. Sugar cenes put the machine to get compress and make juice.

At the step 4, pure juice get filter specialise machine, in order to get high quality drops. Those substance are ready to heat in evaporator, then heated to produce the high standart syrop.Following step represent of cepariting of sugars, their shape is crystal and it needs to be devide. The last step constitute of drying and cooling parts, where sugar are separete from each others and its ready to use for users.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a basic overview from growing cane to drying and cooling, which addresses the main purpose of the diagram. Several details are relevant, including crushing the cane to obtain juice and heating it in an evaporator. However, some information is inaccurate or unclear: the diagram specifies a growing period of 12–18 months, not “minimum 1 year,” and it does not show lorries or say that the cane is transported to specialised facilities. The purification stage uses a limestone filter, while the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup; these key functions are not reported accurately. To strengthen the response, describe each stage precisely and avoid adding unsupported details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable beginning, overview and sequence of later stages, and phrases such as “At the step 4” and “The last step” help signal movement through the process. However, progression is not consistently clear: harvesting and the growing period are repeated, and the account moves from the overview back to the beginning before continuing. Some links between stages are also difficult to follow, particularly the explanation of filtering, heating and separation. Organise the description in the diagram’s order, grouping the growing and harvesting stages together before explaining processing, and use clear transitions such as “Next,” “After this” and “Finally” without repeating information.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “evaporator,” “crystal” and “drying and cooling,” so the reader can identify the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the process difficult to understand: “high standart syrop,” “cepariting,” and “separete” are examples. Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “high quality drops” for the filtered juice and “sugar are separate from each others.” Aim for accurate process vocabulary and natural collocations, for example, “the juice is filtered,” “heated to form syrup,” and “crystals are separated from the remaining syrup.” Proofreading spelling would also improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the overall sequence can usually be understood. However, grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. Examples include “This plants need,” “in order to used,” “The process start,” and “pure juice get filter”; these show problems with agreement, verb forms and passive constructions. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent, as in “the last step constitute of drying and cooling parts” and “sugar are.” Sentence boundaries and spacing need attention as well. Practise describing processes with accurate passive forms, such as “The cane is crushed” and “The juice is heated,” and check subject–verb agreement and verb forms in every sentence.

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