Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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 manufacturing sugar from sugar cane.

Overall, the whole process consists of seven major steps, starting from growing sugar cane to making end products of sugar.

First and foremost, sugar canes are growing for almost 12 to 18 months, where sugar cane become completely mature. When those sugar canes grow by certain height, it cuts down by a harvester machine or sometimes manually by farmers. The next step involves a machine that crushes sugar cane heavily in order to make juice.

Continuing to the further process, after getting the sugar cane juice, the filtering phase starts to purify the juice using a limestone Y-shaped filter. In the following step, the filtered juice enters the evaporator, where it gets heated, and the juice becomes syrup. Later, this syrup continuously rotates by a centrifuge pump until it separates into sugar crystals. In the end, the crystal is completely dried and cooled in a barrel, hence, sugar is produced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all stages of the sugar manufacturing process, from cultivation to the final product. The overview is clear, identifying the seven-step nature of the process. However, the description of the stages is somewhat descriptive rather than analytical. To reach a higher band, you should focus more on the transformation of the state of the material (e.g., from solid cane to juice, then to syrup, and finally to crystals). While you have identified the main features, the report could be improved by explicitly highlighting the key transitions between the mechanical and chemical stages of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is clear, following the chronological order of the process. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'The next step', 'Continuing to the further process', and 'In the end'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the information is easy to follow, though the connection between the final stage and the cooling process could be smoother to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'harvester', 'centrifuge', 'evaporator', and 'purify'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'sugar canes are growing' (should be 'are grown') and 'grow by certain height' (should be 'reach a certain height'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to describe the process, it lacks the more sophisticated, precise collocations that would elevate the response to a higher band. The use of 'heavily' to describe the crushing process is also slightly unnatural in this context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and articles, such as 'sugar cane become' (should be 'becomes'), 'it cuts down' (should be 'it is cut down'), and 'the crystal is' (should be 'the crystals are'). These errors are frequent but do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the consistent use of passive voice, which is essential for describing industrial processes. The punctuation is generally accurate, but the sentence structure could be more varied to demonstrate greater control.

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

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