The following answer would classify for band 7:

"Dear Sir, I am writing a report about brick manufacturing. The following one as follows. Brick manufacturing starts with choosing good quality clay. A large digger similar to a crane digs the clay. The process takes about half a day after which it is put on metal grid to separate unwanted silt and impurities. The strained clay is then put in a large machine roller where it is mixed with sand and water to be moulded later to form the base of the brick. While it is still soft, wire cutters are used to perfectly cut the bricks, removing the rough edges. The soft bricks are then put in a drying oven where it stays for 24-48 hours. After the pre-set drying time, the bricks are then put in large kiln where it is baked at moderate heat of about 200-980°C. The bricks are first put in moderate heat to avoid cracking. After about few minutes, the bricks are then fired to a high 870-1300°C heat. This is the final heating or ‘cooking’ stage so to speak for the bricks. Just beside the kiln is the cooling chamber, which is made up of large steel where the bricks will stay for about 48-72 hours. The bricks are then ready for packaging where the brick workers carefully pack the bricks in large container vans for delivery. The whole process is fairly an easy one because there are no sophisticated machines used. The only thing that bothered me was during the heating process because as the manager told me, I have to stay and observe while the clay is being ‘cooked’, because some of the clays do tend to crack easily because of the wrong sand and water mixture from the start. If this happens, the process has to be repeated again which can be quite lengthy."

Examiner's comment

This test taker uses an inappropriate format at times (e.g. the letter-style opening and personal comments) and this limits the band for Task Achievement. The process itself is adequately described, although some irrelevant information is included and there is no clear overview. Information is logically organised and there is a clear progression throughout the response. A range of cohesive devices is used appropriately, although there are occasional errors in referencing and linking, and paragraphing would have helped convey a clearer description of the stages. A wide range of sophisticated lexis is used to convey meaning with precision, but there are also occasional flaws in word choice that lead to some slightly awkward expressions. A wide range of structures is also used fluently with only occasional slight error and the majority of sentences are error-free. In spite of the high level of language proficiency, the flaws in format and organisation limit the rating for this response to Band 7.