Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-05

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 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the process of producing sugar from sugar cane.

There are a total of seven steps involved in making sugar. The first and longest step is growing. The last one is drying and cooling the sugar.

Firstly, we need to grow the sugar cane for around one year to almost two years. Secondly, we do the harvesting by cutting by hand or using tractors. After that, sugarcane is crushed by a machine to produce the juice. Then the juice is purified using a limestone filter.

Now comes the most interesting part: the evaporator, and this part involves heating. We make syrups from the juice that got in the previous part. In the centrifuge stage, our task is to separate the sugar crystals from the syrup. After getting sugar crystals, the last part is drying and cooling the sugar. These are the several steps to create sugar from sugar cane.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence and include several accurate details: cane grows for 12–18 months, harvesting can be done by hand or machine, juice is filtered through limestone, and the centrifuge separates crystals from syrup. The opening also identifies seven stages. However, the overview is limited to naming the first and last stages rather than summarising the process as a whole, and some stages receive less precise treatment. For example, “around one year to almost two years” is less exact than the diagram’s 12–18 months, and the evaporator is described as making syrup without clearly stating that heat causes this change. A clearer overview and more precise reporting of the transformation from cane to sugar would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows the process in the correct order and is divided into paragraphs, so the reader can generally follow the stages. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “After that,” and “Then” help connect the steps. However, the progression relies heavily on these basic markers, and the second paragraph’s overview is brief rather than grouping the stages into a meaningful summary. “Now comes the most interesting part” is conversational and interrupts the otherwise factual progression. The final sentence repeats the idea that these are steps for making sugar instead of adding a concluding insight. Use a concise overview followed by logically grouped stages, and choose neutral links such as “Subsequently” or “In the final stages.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of process vocabulary, including “harvesting,” “crushed,” “purified,” “limestone filter,” “evaporator,” and “centrifuge,” which makes the stages understandable. Some wording is imprecise or too informal for an academic process description. “The most interesting part” adds a personal judgement, while “we need to grow” and “our task is to separate” make the account sound conversational. “Make syrups” is also less natural and precise than describing the juice as being converted into syrup. Aim for consistent technical, impersonal language and more exact process verbs. For instance, “the cane is harvested,” “the juice is heated and concentrated,” and “crystals are separated” would suit this task better.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most of the process remains clear. Passive constructions such as “sugarcane is crushed” and “the juice is purified” are appropriate for describing a manufacturing process. There are some grammatical weaknesses in the later stages: “We make syrups from the juice that got in the previous part” shifts into an awkward past-tense relative clause, and “After getting sugar crystals, the last part is drying and cooling the sugar” has an unclear relationship between the opening phrase and the main clause. The repeated use of “we” also limits the range of suitable structures. Practise consistent present simple passive forms, for example, “The juice is heated until it becomes syrup, which is then spun in a centrifuge.”

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