Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-05

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 flow chart gives information for the manufacturing process and various stages involved for the production of sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, production of sugar from sugar cane involves seven steps. Major processes involve growing, harvesting, crushing of sugar cane, purifying the juice by a filter, evaporating the juice to form a syrup, followed by separation of sugar crystal from the syrup, then drying and cooling sugar crystals.

First step involves growth of sugar cane, which is the most basic to move forward. Growth of sugar cane takes around 12 to 18 months. Second step involves harvesting, to be done by machinery equipment and manual labour. Third step in the process is crushing of sugar canes, with the help of an equipment and getting juice as a product.

Fourth step involves purification of juice with the help of a Limestone filter. Fifth step involves evaporation of juice to form a syrup. The syrup obtained is then subjected to a centrifugal force to seperate sugar crystals from the syrup. In last step, suagr crystals are placed into a container for drying and cooling, eventually giving sugar as a product.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and summarizing the seven main stages of the sugar cane manufacturing process. It accurately reports key features such as the 12 to 18 months growing period, manual and mechanical harvesting methods, crushing, juice purification via a limestone filter, evaporation into syrup, centrifugation, and final drying and cooling. However, some stages are developed more fully than others; for instance, the description tends to rely on sequential listing ('First step involves...', 'Second step involves...') rather than fully integrating and extending the information with more sophisticated analytical comparisons or groupings. This uneven development reflects the characteristics of a solid intermediate response that meets the core requirements while leaving room for deeper reporting.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from the beginning to the end of the manufacturing process. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction and overview followed by detailed sequential steps. Cohesion is established using basic sequencing expressions such as 'First step involves', 'Second step', 'Third step', and 'Fourth step'. However, the heavy reliance on mechanical listing makes the cohesive devices somewhat repetitive and occasionally mechanical. Additionally, referencing could be smoother, as transitions between sentences sometimes feel abrupt rather than fluidly connected. Overall, the organizational structure is clear and easy to follow, supporting a coherent reading experience throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a technical process, incorporating domain-specific terms such as 'manufacturing process', 'harvesting', 'crushing', 'purification', 'evaporator', 'centrifugal force', and 'crystal'. There are occasional word choice and spelling inaccuracies, such as misspelling 'seperate' instead of 'separate' and 'suagr' instead of 'sugar', as well as minor awkwardness in phrasing like 'machinery equipment'. The writer attempts to use less common lexical items related to the process, but occasional slips in spelling and word form indicate a mid-level control of vocabulary that communicates the message effectively without causing major misunderstandings.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'which is the most basic to move forward' and 'separating sugar crystals from the syrup'. There are some noticeable errors in grammar, particularly concerning article usage (e.g., omitting necessary articles like 'the' before 'First step involves' or 'In last step') and prepositions (e.g., 'by a filter' instead of 'using a filter'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while grammatical errors do occur, they are not frequent enough to impede communication. The control over complex structures shows a developing range, but tighter accuracy with articles and prepositional patterns would elevate the grammatical performance.

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