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 provided diagram describes the production process of making sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, growing of sugar canes take almost 12 to 18 months. After harvesting, sugar canes are passed through a maching for the purpose of crushing. However, sugar canes convert into liquid and it send for the purification. In addition, after becoming syrup, crystals are drained from this. At the end, it is dried and now final product is ready.

It is clear that there are seven steps to make sugar from the sugar canes. Fisrtly, sugar canes are grown which take almost about 12 to 18 months. Secondly, after havesting, sugar canes are passed through a machine in order to get juice. Fourthly, this juice is purified by using a filter plant. Fifthly, juice becomes syrup and sixthly it is sent to another machine for the purpose of getting crystals. At the end, its time to dry it. Now, final product is available for use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the process as a sequence and include several key stages, including the growing period, harvesting, crushing, purification, syrup formation, crystal separation and drying. The overview also conveys that the process ends with a usable product. However, some important details are omitted or unclear: the diagram shows two harvesting methods, limestone filtering, heating in an evaporator, and a final drying-and-cooling stage. The description that crystals are “drained” does not accurately explain the centrifuge’s separation of crystals from syrup. There is also a sequencing error: after “Secondly,” the next stage is called “Fourthly,” so crushing is not clearly numbered as the third step. Covering these features more precisely and consistently would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introductory statement, an overview, and a paragraph describing the stages. The process is generally presented in the correct order, and sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “At the end” help guide the reader. However, the numbering jumps from “Secondly” to “Fourthly,” which disrupts the progression, and the two paragraphs repeat information about the growing period and the final product. Some links between ideas are mechanical, particularly “However” and “In addition,” which do not express the relationships between the stages accurately. Use a consistent sequence and connect each stage directly to the next, while avoiding repeated summary points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “production process,” “purification,” “syrup,” and “crystals,” so the main subject is usually clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing this diagram. “A maching” is misspelled, “filter plant” does not accurately name the limestone filter, and “crystals are drained from this” is an unclear description of separation. Phrases such as “for the purpose of” and “final product is available for use” are wordy or generic. Aim for concise, precise process terms and check spelling. More accurate vocabulary would help distinguish the machinery and explain what happens to the juice, syrup and crystals.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer forms, including “after becoming syrup” and “which take almost about 12 to 18 months,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure and verb forms appear in “it send for the purification” and “sugar canes convert into liquid,” where the subject–verb relationship and passive construction are unclear. The phrase “growing of sugar canes take” also has an agreement problem, while “its time to dry it” is not a suitable grammatical construction for this process description. These issues sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Practise accurate passive forms for process stages—for example, “the juice is purified”—and check agreement and sentence boundaries when combining ideas.

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