Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-16

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 Illustration below depicts the manufacturing procedure for making sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, it is evident that the process contains 7 steps starting with growing sugar canes and ending with drying and cooling down the sugar. This is achieved by harvesting sugar canes followed by crushing them to prepare juice and finally separating sugar crystals from syrup.

The process begins with growing sugar canes for 12-18 months. Once sugar canes are grown they are harvested using either machine or manually. Following this stage, sugar canes are crushed using crushing machine and juice is extracted. Subsequently, juice is purified using limestone filter where all the impurities are removed. In next stage the heat is applied to the juice where its converted into the syrup.

At stage 6, the syrup passes through centrifuge where sugar crystals are separated from the syrup. Finally, in last stage the sugar is dried and cooled down to make it ready for the consumption.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all stages of the sugar manufacturing process, from growing sugar canes to drying and cooling the final product. The overview provided in the second paragraph effectively outlines the total number of steps and summarizes the main stages, satisfying the key requirements of Academic Task 1. The data points from the diagram are accurately reported without significant omissions or inventions, describing harvesting methods, crushing, purification with a limestone filter, evaporation into syrup, and centrifugation to isolate sugar crystals. While the response could benefit from slightly more detailed comparisons between the two harvesting methods (mechanical versus manual), it fully addresses all parts of the visual data. Therefore, it meets the criteria for Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. It begins with a logical introductory sentence, moves into a helpful overview paragraph, and then follows the chronological stages of the process systematically. Cohesive devices such as 'Once', 'Following this stage', 'Subsequently', and 'At stage 6' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the linear diagram. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and logically separates the introduction, overview, body details, and conclusion. Although some cohesive transitions feel slightly formulaic, the overall progression is clear, supporting a Band 7.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing process-specific terms such as 'manufacturing procedure', 'crushed', 'juice is extracted', 'limestone filter', 'evaporator', 'syrup', 'centrifuge', and 'sugar crystals'. There are, however, some minor lexical and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'using either machine or manually' (which lacks parallelism and an article before machine) and 'its converted into the syrup' (missing the apostrophe in 'it's'). Vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the information clearly, but minor errors prevent it from reaching a higher band, placing it at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Once sugar canes are grown they are harvested...' and 'Subsequently, juice is purified using limestone filter where all the impurities are removed.' Control of grammar is generally fair, though minor errors occur, including missing articles ('using limestone filter' should be 'using a limestone filter', 'in last stage' should be 'in the last stage') and a punctuation error with a missing comma after introductory phrases. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the sentence structures are sufficiently varied to merit a Band 6.5.

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