Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-27
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 step-by-process of sugar production following several steps.
Overall, sugar making involves several distinct stages, from growing sugar canes in the fields to drying and cooling the produced sugar. Few of its key features are harvesting sugar cane, collecting juice, then boiling the juice to evaporate the water in it.
The first stage of suger production is planting sugar plants. These plants are harvested after 12 to 18 months when they are ready. Then these harvested sugar canes are taken to a factory where further steps continue. The next step is crushing the sugar canes using machine to collect juice.
After that, the collected juice goes through a limestone filter where it is purified. Any impurity is separated from the juice. Following this the purified juice is then heated under a stove to concentrate for several hours which then turns into suger syrup. The centrifugal machine separates sugar crystals from the syrup. Finally, the collected crystals are dried and cooled. This is the final product which is then marketed as sugar which is a everyday need.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You cover the main sequence from cultivation through processing to the finished sugar, and the overview identifies the start and end points as well as key processing stages. The detail that cane is harvested after 12–18 months is accurate, and you describe crushing, limestone filtration, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying and cooling. This meets the task well, with some features more fully reported than others: the two harvesting methods shown (mechanical and manual) are omitted, and the centrifuge’s separation of crystals from syrup could be described more precisely. The claim that the sugar is marketed and is an everyday need is not shown in the diagram. Including the harvesting alternatives and avoiding unsupported additions would make the coverage more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The response has a clear overall progression, with an overview followed by the stages in process order. Paragraphing separates the summary from the detailed account, and transitions such as “The next step,” “After that,” “Following this,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the sequence. This is a coherent organisation, although the repeated step-by-step connectors make some links feel mechanical. The opening phrase “step-by-process” is unclear, and “Then these harvested sugar canes are taken to a factory where further steps continue” adds little because the next sentence already explains crushing. You could improve flow by grouping related stages and using more precise references, while retaining the clear chronological structure.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “limestone filter,” “purified,” “evaporate,” “centrifugal machine,” and “crystals.” These terms make the production stages understandable. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “step-by-process” is not a natural expression, “under a stove” does not describe the diagram’s heating stage well, and “suger” is misspelled twice. “Sugar plants” is less precise than “sugar cane,” while “marketed” introduces an unsupported idea. The vocabulary is adequate for describing the process, but greater accuracy and more natural phrasing would improve precision. Check spelling carefully and prefer the diagram’s labels where they express the process clearly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the time clause “after 12 to 18 months when they are ready” and the relative clause “which then turns into suger syrup.” Most of the process remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions persist. For example, “The first stage … is planting sugar plants” is not a well-formed description of the stage, and “using machine” is missing an article. In “which then turns into … syrup,” the reference of “which” is unclear, and “a everyday need” has an article error. Aim for clearer clause references and check articles and sentence construction; these changes would make the account more consistently accurate without sacrificing variety.
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