Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-14

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 various stages through which sugar is made.

Overall, the process is a linear one consisting of seven stages. Beginning with growing sugarcanes and ending with drying and cooling to make sugar. It consisted of several steps including harvesting, crushing, purifying and evaporating the juice.

Starting with the first four steps, sugar canes were grown in an area for almost 12 to 18 months, followed by their harvestion either by the sugar cane harvesting trucks or by the farmer. Subsequently, the harvested sugarcanes were crushed in a machine to convert them into juice. Thereafter, the juice was purified through the limestone filter.

Turning to the remaining steps, the purified juice was then evaporated to a syrup in an evaporator by applying heat. Subsequently, the sugar crystals were separated from the syrup in a centrifuge. Thereafter, the sugar crystals were left in a container for drying and cooling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You cover the process from cultivation through to the finished sugar and give a clear overview that it has seven stages, beginning with growing and ending with drying and cooling. The main transformations are also accurately reported: cane is crushed to produce juice, the juice is purified and heated into syrup, and a centrifuge separates the crystals. Including the 12–18-month growing period and both harvesting methods adds useful detail. The account is generally well selected and relevant. To make it more fully developed, describe the final stage more precisely: the crystals are dried and cooled, rather than simply being left in a container. You could also clarify that the two harvesting methods are alternatives, both feeding into crushing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs that move through the early and later stages. The sequence is easy to follow, and transitions such as “Subsequently” and “Thereafter” help signal progression. This gives the account coherent organisation. However, the repeated use of these same sequencing words makes cohesion somewhat mechanical, and the overview’s sentence beginning “Beginning with growing…” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. The division into “first four steps” and “remaining steps” is understandable, but the links between stages could be expressed more naturally. Varying transitions and using clearer references to the juice, syrup and crystals would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “purified,” “evaporated,” “syrup,” “crystals” and “centrifuge,” which allows you to describe the main stages clearly. Some wording is less precise or natural, however. “Harvesting trucks” does not accurately name the mechanical harvester shown, while “harvestion” is an incorrect word form. “Grown in an area” is vague, and “left in a container” does not clearly convey the drying-and-cooling operation. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and control of collocation. Aim for concise process terms such as “mechanically harvested,” “crushed to extract juice” and “dried and cooled.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex structures, including participle clauses such as “followed by their…” and passive constructions such as “were crushed” and “were separated.” Most of the process remains understandable. Some errors and awkward constructions remain, though. The overview contains a fragment: “Beginning with growing sugarcanes and ending with drying and cooling to make sugar” needs to be joined to the preceding sentence or made complete. “It consisted” also shifts unnecessarily from the present description to the past, and “in an area” is an awkward article-and-noun construction in context. Review sentence completeness and maintain the present simple or present passive consistently when describing a diagram.

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