Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-09

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 given diagram demonstrates the production of sugar from the sugar cane.

Overall, manufacturing of sugar involves several stages, beginning with the growing and harvesting of of sugar canes and ending with the drying and cooling of sugar crystals. The sugar undergoes a series of processes, including crushing, purifying, evaporating, separating, drying and cooling, before the final production of sugar crystals. The manufacturing process of sugar starts with the growing of sugar canes which take almost 12-18 months to grow. Fully grown sugar cane can be harvested with two methods, either harvesting it with a machine like tractor or by hands with the use of a pruning hook. After harvesting the sugar cane, they passed through a crusher to produce its juice. This sugar cane juice is then added to limestone filter to purify it. After purifying, juice is added to the evaporator under heating, where sugar cane juice turns into syrup. After that, a centrifuge machine is used to separate the sugar crystals from the syrup. These crystals are then dried and cooled down to eventually produce sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all stages of the sugar production process, from harvesting to the final product. You have identified the main features, such as the two harvesting methods and the key processing steps like crushing, purifying, and evaporation. However, the response is presented as a single block of text. To reach a higher band, you should structure your report into clear paragraphs—typically an introduction, an overview of the main stages, and one or two body paragraphs detailing the process. While the information is accurate, the lack of paragraphing makes the logical flow less apparent to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is generally coherent, and you have used some cohesive devices such as 'after harvesting,' 'after that,' and 'eventually.' However, the absence of paragraphing is a significant issue for coherence. A process description should be divided into logical stages to help the reader follow the sequence. Furthermore, some transitions are repetitive, relying heavily on 'after.' Using a wider variety of linking phrases to signal the progression of the process, such as 'subsequently,' 'following this,' or 'once the juice has been filtered,' would improve the flow and logical progression of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the process, including technical terms like 'centrifuge,' 'evaporator,' and 'sugar crystals.' The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task. There are no major spelling errors, and the word choices are accurate enough to convey the meaning clearly. To improve, try to incorporate more precise verbs and collocations, such as 'extracting the juice' instead of 'produce its juice' or 'subjected to' instead of 'added to.' This would demonstrate a more sophisticated control of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the grammar is generally clear, there are some minor errors, such as 'harvesting it with a machine like tractor' (missing an article: 'a tractor') and 'they passed through' (should be 'it is passed through' to maintain passive voice consistency). Additionally, 'harvesting it with a machine... or by hands' is slightly awkward; 'by hand' is the standard idiom. Despite these slips, the meaning is never obscured, and the grammatical control is sufficient for the task requirements.

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

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