Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-29

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 7.0)

The flow chart illustrates the 7 steps involved in the production of sugar from sugar cane.

The overall process requires human involvement coupled with the use of mechanical appliances in several steps. The process begins with the growth of sugar cane and culminates with drying and cooling to produce the final product.

Sugarcane is harvested approximately 12–18 months after it is initially sown. Harvesting can either be done by hand using a sickle, or using a mechanical sugarcane harvester. Following this, in the third step, the sugar canes are passed through a wheeled machine, which crushes it to produce its juice. This juice is further passed through a limestone filter inorder to purify the liquid.

The filtered juice undergoes heating, during which the moisture evaporates, resulting in the formation of a syrup. The subsequent stage involves centrifugation, where the rapid circular movement aids in the separation of the sugar crystals from the syrup. Ultimately, the crystals are allowed to dry and cool to produce sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the 7 main stages of the sugar manufacturing process from start to finish. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the combination of human labour and mechanical processes, and tracing the sequence from growth to drying and cooling. Key features, such as the two harvesting methods (by hand with a sickle or using a mechanical harvester), crushing, purifying via a limestone filter, evaporation, centrifugation, and final cooling, are accurately reported without unnecessary or irrelevant details. The data is fully grounded in the visual source, and the progression is logical and clear. This performance aligns well with the requirements for a Band 7.5 to 8.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The text demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically into paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by the initial stages of farming and extraction, and concluding with the final refinement steps. Cohesive devices such as 'Following this', 'In the third step', and 'The subsequent stage' are used effectively to guide the reader through the sequence of operations. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, contributing to the overall readability and coherent flow of the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'cultivation', 'centrifugation', 'evaporation', 'limestone filter', and 'sugar crystals'. There is a good attempt to use less common lexical items related to industrial processes. However, there is a minor spelling/word-choice slip with 'inorder' (written as one word instead of 'in order'), and some phrases could be elevated for greater precision. Overall, the vocabulary adequately conveys the technical nature of the diagram without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writing features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'resulting in the formation of a syrup', 'where the rapid circular movement aids in...'). The majority of sentences are grammatically accurate. There is one minor agreement error with pronoun referencing where 'crushes it to produce its juice' refers back to plural 'sugar canes' ('crushes them to produce their juice'), but this does not impede communication. Punctuation and sentence control are generally strong throughout.

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