Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-05

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 6.5)

The diagram depicts the process of producing sugar from sugar cane.

At first glance, we can see from the diagram that the whole process is completed in 7 steps from growing sugar in farm to got crystals of sugar.

At the initial stage, sugar cane is grown on the farm by farmers; it takes 12-18 months to fully grow. Once the crops are mature it will goes to harvesting by harvesters. The clean sugar cane stalks are now ready to be crushed in mills. As a result, the produced juice goes to the purification system, then pure juice is further processed to cook, where juice is converted to thick syrup. After that, it is processed by a centrifuge to separate sugar crystals from sugar syrup. Once all the crystals are separated from the syrup, at the final stage it is dried by a dryer and cooled to form an edible version of sugar.

Overall, the production of sugar is completed in 7 steps and takes a long time to reach the consumer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence and include the useful detail that sugar cane takes 12–18 months to grow. The crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and final drying and cooling are all represented, so the account is relevant and generally accurate. However, some features are less fully reported: the diagram shows harvesting by either a mechanical harvester or by hand, and the limestone filter and application of heat are omitted. The overview also says the process takes “a long time to reach the consumer,” although the diagram gives no information about delivery to consumers or the total production time. Focus the overview on the seven stages and the transformation from cane to sugar, and include the diagram’s distinctive methods and inputs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is easy to follow, with a clear opening, a chronological account of the stages, and an overall statement. Sequencing phrases such as “At the initial stage,” “Once,” “After that,” and “at the final stage” guide the reader through the process effectively. The progression is logical, and the stages are grouped into a continuous explanation rather than presented as disconnected details. To make the organisation more polished, place the overview before the detailed sequence, as is conventional for this task, and avoid repeating the seven-step summary in both the second paragraph and the conclusion. The link “As a result” is not quite the clearest relationship between crushing and purification; a direct transition would be more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushed,” “purification,” “syrup,” “centrifuge,” and “crystals.” These terms help communicate the stages clearly, and the meaning remains understandable despite some imprecise choices. A few expressions are awkward or unsupported by the diagram: “grown on the farm by farmers” adds an unnecessary agent, “cook” is less precise than describing evaporation with heat, and “edible version of sugar” is unnatural. “Clean sugar cane stalks” also suggests a cleaning stage that is not shown. Aim for concise, diagram-specific wording such as “the cane is harvested,” “the juice is heated until it becomes syrup,” and “the crystals are dried and cooled.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more developed sentence forms, including time clauses such as “Once the crops are mature” and a relative clause in “where juice is converted to thick syrup.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors persist. In “it will goes to harvesting,” the modal should be followed by the base form, and the subject and tense should be handled consistently; “the cane is then harvested” would avoid this problem. “Sugar is grown” is also inaccurate in structure because the crop is sugar cane, while “it is dried by a dryer and cooled” has an unclear pronoun reference. Check articles and noun phrases as well, for example “to form edible sugar.” More consistent passive constructions would suit a process description.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.