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 illustratipon depicts the method of sugar production from sugar cane.

This 7-step process begins with the growth of sugar canes and ends with the production of sugar. This is achieved by a series of physical and chemical changes.

The process starts with the growth of sugar canes that usually takes 12-18 months. After complete growth, they are harvested either through harvesting machines or manually by farmers.Then transported to a process called crushing, where it is crushed and its juice is extracted. After that, it reaches the next stage where the extracted juice is purified by passing through a limestone filter.Followed by purification, it is poured in an evaporator which is being heated. By continuous heating juice transforms into thick syrup, that is later centrifuged at a high speed. During centrifugation, the syrup obtained is spinned at high speed separating smallnsugar crystals from syrup, which is later dried and cooled to obtain the sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main stages in the correct order, from the 12–18-month growing period through harvesting, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and final drying and cooling. The overview that this is a seven-step process with sugar as its end product is relevant, and you include the two harvesting methods and the limestone filter. Some details are less fully or clearly reported: the diagram shows juice becoming syrup in the evaporator, and the centrifuge separating sugar crystals from the remaining syrup, but the explanation of this separation is repeated and slightly confusing. The final stage could also be stated more directly as drying and cooling the crystals to produce sugar. A concise, accurate overview and clearer treatment of the key transformations would strengthen the report further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The stages are presented in a generally logical sequence, and transitions such as “After that,” “Followed by purification,” and “During centrifugation” help the reader follow the process. The opening overview also gives the response a useful direction. However, the report is written as one continuous paragraph, so the overview and detailed stages are not visually distinguished. Some links feel mechanical or create awkward connections, particularly “After complete growth” and “Followed by purification, it is poured,” where the reference of “it” is not immediately clear. The centrifugation explanation repeats information rather than progressing to the final stage. Grouping the overview separately and using clearer references and transitions would make the progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of process vocabulary, including “harvested,” “extracted,” “purified,” “evaporator,” and “centrifuged,” which allows you to describe the diagram with reasonable precision. Some less common terms are attempted, but a few choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural: “spinned” should be “spun,” and “smallnsugar” appears to be a typing or spelling error. “Harvesting machines” is less precise than “mechanical harvester,” while “thick syrup” is understandable but not necessary when the diagram simply identifies syrup. The phrase “physical and chemical changes” is also broad and does not add much specific information. More consistent use of accurate process collocations and careful proofreading would improve precision and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of sentence forms, including a relative clause (“that usually takes 12-18 months”) and a participial construction (“separating smallnsugar crystals”). The sequence remains understandable, but grammatical control is uneven, with errors in sentence construction, agreement, and punctuation. For example, “After complete growth, they are harvested … .Then transported” leaves the second clause without a clear subject and verb; “it is crushed and its juice is extracted” shifts awkwardly between plural canes and singular “it”; and “juice transforms into thick syrup, that is later centrifuged” has an unnecessary comma before the relative clause. The passive “which is being heated” is also less suitable for describing a general process. Use complete clauses, maintain consistent number and tense, and check punctuation around subordinate clauses.

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