Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-13

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 process diagram outlines the stages of how sugar is produced from sugar cane.

Overall, the process consists of seven stages which includes growing of sugar canes, harvesting and crushing. The obtained juice is then passed through purifier, evaporator where it becomes syrup, centrifuge machine where sugar crystals are seperated and finally drying and cooling of obtained sugar.

The process starts with cultivation of sugar canes which takes 12-18 months for developing. The fully grown sugar canes are then harvested by farmers and taken by a tractor to the crushing place. Sugar canes are then passed through the crushing machine where juice is extracted. After extraction, juice is purified by passing through a limestone filter.

In the later stages, filtered juice is placed in the evaporator under heat where it is converted into syrup. The syrup is then passed through a centrifuging machine where sugar crystals are seperated from it and finally the obtained sugar is left for drying and cooling in a seperater chamber.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the seven-stage process and accurately identifies its main sequence, from growing sugar cane through to drying and cooling the sugar. It also includes the stated growing period and explains the key transformations: cane is crushed to extract juice, and heating turns the juice into syrup before crystals are separated. This covers the central features of the diagram. Some details are less precise: the diagram shows two harvesting methods, mechanical and manual, whereas “harvested by farmers and taken by a tractor” could suggest that the tractor transports the cane rather than harvests it. The final “separater chamber” is also not shown; the diagram simply indicates drying and cooling. Report the two harvesting methods explicitly and avoid adding unsupported equipment or locations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised effectively into an introduction, an overview and two chronological body sections. The progression is easy to follow, with transitions such as “The process starts,” “After extraction” and “In the later stages” guiding the reader through the sequence. The overview also groups the stages sensibly rather than listing every detail. Cohesion is generally clear, although some links between stages could be more exact: “taken by a tractor to the crushing place” introduces a transport step that the diagram does not show, and “it” in “where it is converted into syrup” requires the reader to infer that it refers to the juice. Use precise references such as “the filtered juice” and connect each stage directly to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “cultivation,” “extracted,” “purified,” “evaporator” and “centrifuging machine.” These terms help describe the stages clearly, and the writer varies some wording rather than repeating “sugar cane” throughout. However, several choices are imprecise or awkward: “takes … for developing” is not a natural way to describe the growing period, “passed through purifier” lacks a natural article and phrasing, and “seperater chamber” is both misspelled and unsupported by the diagram. The misspelling of “separated” also occurs twice. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling, especially for key process terms; “the juice passes through a limestone filter” is clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

There is a useful mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the overview’s relative clause and the sequence of passive constructions: “juice is purified” and “filtered juice is placed in the evaporator.” Most sentences communicate the process without difficulty. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, however. In “seven stages which includes,” the verb should agree with the plural “stages”; “takes 12-18 months for developing” has an awkward grammatical construction; and “passed through purifier” needs an article or a different structure. The final sentence also has a long chain of clauses that would be clearer if divided or carefully punctuated. Continue using passive forms for process descriptions, while checking agreement, articles and clause boundaries.

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