Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 7.0)

The diagram illustrates the detailed process of producing sugar from sugarcane.

Overall, the complete manufacturing process is completed in 7 simple steps. The process begins in the sugar cane farm where it is grown and completes when the dry crystallised sugar is acquired.

The process starts with the growing of sugar cane in a farm for a period 12 to 18 months before it is harvested. The process of harvesting can be done in 2 ways; using large combine harvesters or it can be performed manually. The sugar canes are then crushed to produced juice which is then purified through a Limestone filter and is sent to the final stages of processing.

The filtered juice is then heated in an evaporator to caramelize they juice into syrup which is then sent to a centrifuge which spins at high speeds to seperate the sugar crystals from the syrup. The final stage of the production process is letting the sugar dry and cool thus giving us the final dry crystalized sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response gives a clear account of the process and includes the key stages, from growing the cane for 12–18 months through harvesting, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying and cooling. The overview identifies the seven-step sequence and the beginning and end points, while the body adds relevant detail such as the two harvesting methods and the separation of crystals from syrup. This makes the report well focused and substantially complete. A few details are less precise: “caramelize” is not shown in the diagram, which only indicates that heating turns the juice into syrup, and “large combine harvesters” adds a size and machine description not specified. Keep descriptions closely tied to the visual to make an already clear account more exact.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear progression: an introduction and overview are followed by the early stages and then the later processing stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “The process starts,” “then,” and “The final stage” help the reader follow the diagram, and the paragraphing is appropriate. The links are generally effective, though some sentences carry several stages at once, particularly the sentence beginning “The sugar canes are then crushed,” which moves from crushing through purification to the later stages in a compressed way. More deliberate sentence breaks and clearer links between the stages would make the progression smoother. The final phrase “thus giving us” also shifts into a conversational first-person voice, which slightly interrupts the otherwise formal report style.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “purified,” “evaporator,” “centrifuge,” and “sugar crystals,” which allows the stages to be described clearly. Some less common terms are attempted, but a few choices are inaccurate or awkward: “caramelize” does not describe the diagram’s stated change to syrup, and “dry crystallised sugar” is less natural than a direct description of the final product. Spelling errors in “seperate” and “crystalized” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise process collocations and consistent spelling, and avoid adding technical-sounding terms unless the visual supports them. This would make the vocabulary more flexible and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex forms, including a relative clause in “which is then purified” and a time clause beginning “before it is harvested.” Most sentences communicate the sequence successfully, but some grammatical errors remain. In “for a period 12 to 18 months,” the preposition “of” is needed; “crushed to produced juice” should use the infinitive “produce”; and “caramelize they juice” contains an incorrect pronoun. The final sentence also uses a non-finite construction awkwardly: “letting the sugar dry and cool thus giving us” would be clearer with a finite clause. These errors do not prevent understanding, but proofreading verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries would improve control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.