Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-18

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 processing diagram illustrates the process by which sugar is produced from sugar cane.

it can be clearly seen that, the process involves mainly 7 stages and takes between 12-18 months to complete. it begins with growing the cane and ends with drying and cooling the final sugar product. the main stages include harvesting, crushing, and several treatment processes.

the process starts with sugar cane being grown for 12-18 months. once mature, the cane is harvested either manually or by machines. in the next stage, the harvested cane is crushed using rollers to extract the juice.

the extracted juice then undergoes purification through a limestone filter. after purification, the juice is heated in an evaporator, which turns it into syrup. the syrup is subsequently placed in a centrifuge, where sugar crystals are separated from the liquid. in the final stage, the crystals are dried and cooled. once this is complete, the sugar is ready for consumption.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all stages of the sugar production process, from the initial growth of the cane to the final cooling of the sugar. You have clearly identified the main features, such as the duration of the growth phase and the key mechanical and chemical treatments involved. The overview is concise and provides a good summary of the process. To reach a higher band, ensure that you explicitly highlight the transition points between the agricultural and industrial phases more clearly. Overall, the response is accurate and addresses the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, following the chronological order of the process. Each paragraph has a clear focus, moving from the growth and harvesting to the industrial processing stages. Cohesive devices such as 'once mature', 'in the next stage', 'subsequently', and 'in the final stage' are used effectively to guide the reader through the sequence. The paragraphing is appropriate for a process description. The flow is smooth, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow without any confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for a process description, including terms like 'extracted', 'purification', 'evaporator', and 'centrifuge'. The language is precise enough to convey the technical nature of the process. While the vocabulary is accurate, it is somewhat functional. To achieve a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or varied synonyms to describe the actions, such as 'mechanized harvesting' or 'crystallization process'. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a good control of grammatical structures, including passive voice constructions which are essential for describing processes (e.g., 'sugar cane being grown', 'is harvested', 'is crushed'). There is a mix of simple and complex sentences, and the punctuation is generally accurate. However, there is a consistent lack of capitalization at the start of sentences, which is a mechanical error that detracts from the professional quality of the writing. Improving attention to basic sentence mechanics would elevate the score significantly.

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.