Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-04

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 illustrates the process used to produce sugar from sugar canes.

By and large, the process involves seven steps; the first three steps deal with the manufacturing of raw sugar cannes, while the latter four steps transform the liquid generated from the former process into real sugar.

After being planted, the sugar cannes take 12 to 18 month before being ready for the harvest. Depending on the amount of sugar cannes, the harvesting can be done by hand through a machete or using a tractor. Subsequently, the chopped cannes are crushed and transformed into juice.

The next stage purifyes the liquid through a limestone filter and the a funnel transports the jiuce to the evaportator. The juice is heated until it reaches the boiling temperature and it is transformed into syrup. The last two stages are used respectively to separate the crystals of the sugar from the liquid and to dry the liquid remained in order to produce the actual white sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview of the linear manufacturing process of sugar from sugar cane, spanning from growing to drying and cooling. All seven main stages are mentioned in logical sequence, including the two harvesting methods and the crucial transformation steps. However, certain aspects are slightly under-developed or general, such as the brief description of the final stages where more detail regarding the centrifuge or the exact nature of the resulting syrup and sugar crystals could have been expanded. The overview provided in the second paragraph effectively outlines the macro-structure of the process, satisfying the core requirements of this band level well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The text exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the initial growth phase through to the final cooling stage. Paragraphing is appropriately utilised, separating the introduction, an overview paragraph, and the detailed body steps. Cohesive devices such as 'By and large', 'After being planted', 'Depending on', and 'Subsequently' are employed to guide the reader through the sequence. Nevertheless, cohesion occasionally feels slightly mechanical, and referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the abrupt transition in paragraph four where some logical links between purifying, evaporating, and centrifuging sentences could be smoother, preventing the response from reaching a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a technical or manufacturing process, employing terms like 'manufacturing', 'transform', 'crushed', 'limestone filter', and 'crystals'. However, there are notable spelling inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'cannes' instead of canes, 'month' instead of months, 'purifyes' instead of purifies, 'jiuce' instead of juice, and 'evaportator' instead of evaporator. Additionally, there are minor word choice slips like 'liquid remained'. These lexical errors and spelling mistakes do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the score, showing typical features of this band level where less common vocabulary is attempted with recurring inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writing features a satisfactory mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over temporal clauses and passive structures such as 'is heated' and 'are crushed'. Good grammatical variety is achieved through participial phrases like 'After being planted'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('reach the boiling temperature'), subject-verb agreement issues ('the a funnel'), and minor prepositional misuse. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, reflecting a solid command of sentence structures typical of this level while still falling short of complete grammatical freedom.

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