Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-12

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 below illustrates the stages of manufacturing sugar from sugar cane. The whole process involves several steps until completion and it can take more than eighteen months of time.

Overall, what stands out from the given diagram is that, the most important part of the whole process is growing sugarcane. It is the most time consuming stage because it can take approximately twelve to eighteen months. Other stages contain harvesting, crushing, filtering the juice and also evaporating. These are less crucial and less time consuming since these remaining stages can be completed through machinery and automated process.

Looking at the details, the first stage is growing the sugar canes which can take around 12 to 18 months, until they become mature. Afterwards, the sugar cane is harvested which can be done through machinery and manually. Next, they are inserted in a crushing machine which converts a raw sugar cane into a juice.

Then, the juice is filtered using a limestone filter so that it can be purified. The next phase involves evaporation of that purifying juice which helps to convert that juice in to a syrup. The syrup is then sent to a container which eliminates sugar crystals from syrup. Finally, those crystals comes in a process of drying and cooling which results in raw and useable sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main sequence from growing the cane through to drying and cooling, and the overview correctly identifies growth as the longest stage, supported by the stated 12–18 months. You also report both harvesting methods and explain the crushing, limestone filtration and evaporation stages. This gives the reader a clear account of the process. However, the overview calls growth the “most important” stage and describes later stages as “less crucial,” which is an unsupported judgement; the diagram shows duration, not importance. The final stages are also not fully precise: the centrifuge separates crystals from syrup, rather than a container simply eliminating them, and the product is labelled sugar, not specifically raw sugar. More exact coverage of these stages would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a sensible order: an introduction and overview are followed by a detailed account that moves through the process. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Afterwards,” “Next,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the stages, and paragraphing is appropriate. Some linking is nevertheless mechanical, with repeated “Next” and “Then,” and the overview’s list of stages does not include the centrifuge or drying and cooling. A few references are also unclear: “those crystals” follows a description of a container, making the process relationship less smooth. To improve progression, group related stages more deliberately and use precise references to the juice, syrup and crystals rather than relying on repeated sequencing words.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crushing machine,” “limestone filter,” “evaporation,” and “syrup,” so the stages are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific wording, such as “purified” and “mature.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a diagram: “most important” and “less crucial” introduce an unsupported evaluation, while “eliminates sugar crystals from syrup” does not accurately describe separation in a centrifuge. Phrases such as “in to a syrup” and “raw and useable sugar” also show inconsistent word form or spelling. Aim for precise process collocations and avoid evaluative language when the diagram only reports how the process works.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a relative clause in “which can take around 12 to 18 months” and a purpose clause in “so that it can be purified.” Most sentences communicate the intended stages, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the most important part … is growing” is followed by “It is the most time consuming stage,” where the comparison is not expressed cleanly; “those crystals comes” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “the juice … convert that juice in to a syrup” has an awkward verb pattern. There is also an unnecessary comma after “is that” in the overview. Check agreement, verb complements and punctuation, while retaining the complex sentence structures you already attempt.

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