Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-05

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 process chart illustrates how sugar is produced from sugar cane.

Overall, there are multiple steps of manufacturing sugar including growing, harvesting, crushing, purifying, evaporation, centrifugation, drying and cooling.

To commence with, sugar cane crops are cultivated and matured in 12-18 months. In the next stage, the sugar can plants are harvested mechanically using combine harvesters and manually by farmers. Then, the harvested agricultural produce is crushed with the help of crushing machine to extract sugar cane juice. Thereafter, the crushed juice is fed into a funnel shaped purifier device in which it has a limestone filter that purifies the juice.

Turning to the next step of evaporation, the juice is heated into an evaporator which becomes sugar cane syrup. Afterward, centrifugation machine is used that spins very fast to separate sugar crystals from the mixture of syrup. In the final stage, these sugar crystals are stored in a container and left for drying and cooling for sometime and hence sugar is manufactured.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main stages of the sugar production process. You have covered the sequence from cultivation to the final product, which is a key requirement for Task 1. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the process steps. However, to reach a higher band, you should aim to highlight the 'main features' more explicitly, perhaps by noting the transformation of the raw material into the final product more clearly. The description is accurate, but could be improved by incorporating more comparative language regarding the different stages, such as contrasting the mechanical and manual harvesting methods more effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, following the chronological order of the process. You have used a range of cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'In the next stage', 'Thereafter', and 'Afterward' to guide the reader through the steps. Paragraphing is present, although the response could benefit from a more distinct separation between the initial cultivation/harvesting phase and the subsequent industrial processing phase. The flow of information is generally smooth, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Overall, the progression is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, such as 'cultivated', 'mechanically', 'extract', 'purifies', and 'centrifugation'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'funnel shaped purifier device' (which is slightly wordy) and 'for sometime' (which should be 'for some time'). While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the process, it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band. Incorporating more precise technical collocations would enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the sugar can plants' (should be 'sugar cane plants'), 'crushing machine' (missing an article), and 'in which it has a limestone filter' (which is a slightly awkward relative clause). Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage and ensuring subject-verb agreement. Your control of punctuation is generally good, and the sentence variety is sufficient for this task.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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