Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-03

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 provide the information of the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, this process consisting at 7 steps which begining with the growth of sugercane and ending with drying and cooling suger. It have three key points crushing the sugercane to extract the juice, purifying it and evaporator the water to make the juice into syrup.

The first step is to growing the sugercane in 12 to 18 months then harvesting then with the help of trackers or labours after that the crushing section starts to extract the juice from the suger canes.

Now the purification starts with limestone filter from which the juice goes toward the evaporator to convert the juices into syrup with the help of heat then in step six the centrifuge starts from which the suger crytals are separates from the syrup and at the end the suger crystals were dried and cooled.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as having seven stages and give a relevant overview, from growing sugar cane to drying and cooling the sugar. You also include the growth period and mention the main transformations: extracting juice, purifying it, turning it into syrup, and separating crystals. However, some details are incomplete or imprecise: the harvesting methods are described as “trackers or labours” rather than mechanical harvesting and manual harvesting, and the limestone filter is not clearly explained as the purification stage. The response contains 142 words, so it is 8 words below the 150-word minimum; nine words copied from the prompt were not counted. Develop the stage descriptions more fully and ensure the overview accurately captures the sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a description of the stages. The sequence is generally understandable, and transitions such as “The first step,” “after that,” and “at the end” help guide the reader. However, the progression is sometimes mechanical, with repeated use of “then” and “after that,” and the final paragraph combines several stages in one long sentence. The phrase “Now the purification starts” also creates an informal shift rather than a smooth continuation. Separate the process into clearer stages or grouped phases, and use a wider range of accurate linking expressions to show how each stage leads to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “manufacturing process,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” which allows the reader to follow the main steps. However, the range and control are limited, and several word choices or spellings reduce precision: “trackers” does not accurately describe the harvesting machine, “labours” is not the natural term for workers here, and “suger” and “crytals” are misspelled. Some phrases are also awkward, such as “evaporator the water” and “the crushing section starts.” Use precise process verbs and check spelling carefully; for example, describe the juice as being heated and concentrated into syrup, then separated into crystals and remaining syrup.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the general sequence using both simple statements and some longer sentences, but the range of structures is limited and errors occur frequently. For example, “The diagram provide” has subject–verb disagreement, while “this process consisting at 7 steps” lacks a correctly formed verb phrase. The overview also contains “It have three key points,” and “The first step is to growing” uses an incorrect verb form. In the final sentence, “the suger crytals are separates” has an incorrect passive construction. These errors sometimes make the relationships between stages less clear. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions and passive forms, such as “the cane is crushed” and “the crystals are separated,” while breaking long sentences into manageable units.

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