Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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 illustrate a seven-step process of manufacturing sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the process of making sugar is a mechanical and linear process. Starting from growth of sugar canes and ending with well-prepared sugar. After harvesting and crushing the canes, juice is then purify which passes through evaporator to become dense liquid. The process of centrifuge and drying is performed on dense liquid and sugar is prepared in result.

The process starts with growing crop of sugar canes which take almost 12 to 18 months to be fully grown. After that period, ripe sugar canes are then harvested either by hand or through harvesting machine. Harvested sugar canes are passed through crushing machine to get juice. The sugar cane juice is then purified by using limestone filter.

Purified juice is put into a evaporator where heat from the bottom side evaporate water and the dense liquid (syrup) is collected from it. Then come centrifuge process where sugar crystals from syrup get separate which then is passed through drying and cooling process, the result in a sugar which is used for different purposes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response covers the process from cane growth through to the final drying and cooling stage, and its overview identifies the linear sequence and the main transformation from cane to sugar. It also accurately includes the 12–18-month growing period, the two harvesting methods, limestone purification, evaporation and centrifuging. These details make the account well grounded in the diagram. To strengthen it further, keep the overview focused on the most important stages rather than adding the vague claim that the sugar is “used for different purposes,” which is not shown. The description of the centrifuge could also be more precise: it separates sugar crystals from the remaining syrup, rather than simply separating crystals “from syrup.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear sequence, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs that move from cultivation and harvesting to processing and the final product. Connectors such as “After that period,” “Then” and “which then” help the reader follow the stages. This logical progression is effective, though some linking is slightly mechanical and a few references are unclear. For example, “the dense liquid (syrup) is collected from it” leaves “it” referring ambiguously to the evaporator or the process. The overview also uses sentence fragments—“Starting from growth…” and “After harvesting and crushing…”—which interrupt the flow. Use complete sentences and clearer references to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The response uses a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “crushing machine,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” “syrup” and “centrifuge.” These terms allow the stages to be identified clearly, and “dense liquid” shows an attempt to describe the change in consistency. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “well-prepared sugar,” “the result in a sugar” and “sugar crystals … get separate.” “Mechanical and linear process” is also a broad description rather than a precise summary of the diagram. Aim for more natural process language and accurate forms, such as “the resulting sugar” and “crystals are separated from the syrup.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence structure, including time clauses (“which take almost 12 to 18 months”) and passive constructions (“are then harvested”). The sequence remains understandable, but grammatical control is uneven, with errors in agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence completeness. For example, “The diagram illustrate” needs subject–verb agreement, while “juice is then purify” requires a past participle. “Put into a evaporator” has an article error, and “heat … evaporate water” needs a correctly formed verb. The overview also contains fragments beginning “Starting from” and “After harvesting.” Check agreement and verb forms, and revise fragments into complete sentences; this would make the varied structures more consistently accurate.

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