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)

This diagram illustrates how sugar is being manufactured from sugar cane.

Overall, it show us the each process of how sugar is being manufacture from sugar cane.

Firstly, the sugar cane is planted and when it is ripe, it is either harvested by hand or by machine, after its being harvested, it is taken to another machine for the next process, after taken to the machine the machine will crush the sugar cane and it will bring out juice, after that the juice is purify by limestone filter.

The process continued after it has been purify,it is evaporate and the juice become syrup,then the sugar crystal is been separate from syrup and then the following step is cooling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the subject and report the main sequence from planting through harvesting, crushing, purification and syrup production to separation and cooling. You also correctly mention both harvesting methods and the limestone filter. However, the overview is repetitive rather than summarising the process’s key features, and several stages are incomplete or imprecise: the cane grows for 12–18 months, the centrifuge separates sugar crystals from syrup, and the final stage is drying and cooling, not cooling alone. The response also contains fewer than the required 150 words, limiting the detail available. To develop the report, include these omitted details and explain the process more fully while keeping the account focused on the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the diagram’s general order, and the paragraph break between the introduction, overview and process description gives it some organisation. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “after that” and “then” help the reader follow the stages. However, the process is largely compressed into one long paragraph and several stages are joined in a run-on sequence, particularly the sentence beginning “Firstly, the sugar cane is planted.” Repeated use of “after” also makes the linking mechanical. Give each stage a clearer place in the progression, use separate sentences for major steps, and group the growing and harvesting stages separately from the factory processes. This would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crush,” “juice,” “limestone filter,” “evaporate” and “syrup,” so the reader can understand the basic production stages. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “bring out juice,” “the process continued” and “the sugar crystal is been separate.” Repetition of “machine,” “process” and “sugar cane” also reduces precision. Use more exact terms from the diagram, such as “extracts juice,” “centrifuge” and “sugar crystals,” and vary references where appropriate. More accurate collocations and stage-specific vocabulary would make the description clearer and more suitable for an academic process report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences to connect stages, and the basic meaning is generally recoverable. However, the response relies heavily on simple present forms and long chains of clauses, while errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction. For example, “it show us” has incorrect agreement, “how sugar is being manufacture” uses an incorrect verb form, and “the juice is purify” should use a past participle. The final sentence also contains faulty forms in “it is evaporate” and “is been separate.” Break the process into shorter, controlled sentences and practise passive constructions, which are useful for describing manufacturing: for example, “The juice is purified” and “The crystals are separated.”

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