Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-01

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 diagram demonstrates the step-by-step process for manufacturing sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the whole process consists of 7 different steps which are adhered to while making sugar. The first step begins from the basic task of growing sugar cane which is harvested and crushed, once they grow. Subsequently, the sugar cane juice is purified and heated culminating in production of sugar.

In the initial step, sugar cane is planted and grown, which takes around 12 to 18 months. Once it is grown, it is harvested either by hand (manual harvesting) or by a machine (mechanical harvesting). The yield is crushed down and all the juice of the sugar cane is extracted using a machine.

Thereafter, the juice is filtered using a limestone filter which provides us with pure juice. Subsequently, the filtered juice is heated in an evaporator where it gets transformed into a syrup. The heating stage is followed by a Centrifuge step where sugar cystals are separated from the syrup using a mechanism and centrifugal force. Ultimately, the sugar crystals are dried and cooled down which marks the completion of the whole process and sugar is obtained.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the seven main stages of sugar production from sugar cane. The overview is clear and accurately summarises the sequence from growing to final drying and cooling. Key features, such as the 12-to-18-month growing period, manual and mechanical harvesting methods, crushing, purification with a limestone filter, evaporation, and separation via a centrifuge, are all reported. The progression is easy to follow, meeting the requirements for this band fully. To reach higher bands, the student could provide slightly more detailed comparisons or deeper extension on specific operational conditions at each transition phase, avoiding minor generalizations in the overview summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The text displays a clear logical organization and progression from beginning to end. Progression is guided effectively by cohesive devices such as 'In the initial step', 'Thereafter', 'Subsequently', and 'Ultimately'. Paragraphing is used appropriately, separating the introduction, overview, and body steps into distinct sections. However, cohesion occasionally feels slightly mechanical due to repetitive transitional markers like 'subsequently'. Referencing is generally clear, though refining paragraph connections would enhance the overall flow to push toward higher levels of cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'culminating', 'evaporator', 'centrifuge', and 'centrifugal force'. Word choice is generally appropriate and allows the process to be described with sufficient precision. There is, however, a minor spelling error with 'cystals' instead of 'crystals', and some expressions feel standard rather than sophisticated. To achieve a higher band, the student should integrate a wider variety of precise academic collocations and ensure absolute accuracy in spelling and word forms throughout the description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses ('which are adhered to', 'which takes around') and participial phrases successfully. There are some error-free sentences, showing good overall control of grammar and punctuation. Minor slips occur, such as the awkward phrasing 'are adhered to while making sugar' and minor prepositional or article choices. To move into the higher band range, the student needs to consistently produce a greater proportion of error-free complex sentences and eliminate minor structural awkwardness.

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.