Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-24

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 manufacturing procedure of sugar from sugar cane. The process consists of different stages: plant growth, harvesting, crushing, purifying juice, evaporation, centrifuge and drying and cooling.

Overall, the simple process includes seven diverse steps starting from the growth of cane and ends at the drying and cooling of sugar crystals to make sugar ready for consumption.

Firstly, the process begins with the growth of cane plants. Canes took 12 to 18 months to mature and after that harvesting is done through manual and with the help of machines.

Meanwhile, the canes are sent to a crushing machine which extracts the juices from the canes and then limestone filters purify these sweet liquids. Moreover, liquids of cane are evaporated by heat and juices are converted into syrup and in centrifuge sugar crystals are separated from syrup and at the last stage the drying and cooling process of sugar particles is done and sugar is ready to use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the main stages of the sugar cane manufacturing process, from growing to drying and cooling. An overview is provided, noting that the process consists of seven diverse steps. Key features are accurately reported, including the duration of the growth stage (12 to 18 months), the dual harvesting methods (manual and mechanical), crushing, juice purification via a limestone filter, evaporation, centrifugation, and final drying and cooling. The response is factual and remains closely tied to the provided diagram without inventing extraneous data, fulfilling the core requirements well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. It begins with an introduction that outlines the process, followed by an overview, and then details the sequential steps. Cohesive devices and sequencing words such as 'Firstly', 'Meanwhile', 'Moreover', and 'at the last stage' are employed to guide the reader through the linear process. Paragraphing is used, although the body is condensed into a couple of longer blocks rather than distributed across multiple shorter paragraphs. Referencing is generally clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing a technical process, incorporating terms like 'manufacturing procedure', 'harvesting', 'crushing', 'purify', 'evaporated', and 'sugar crystals'. There are some awkward phrasings, such as 'plant growth' being used alongside 'plant canes', and slight collocation slips like 'plant canes took 12 to 18 months' instead of 'growing for 12 to 18 months'. However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main mechanical and biological steps clearly without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative and coordinate clauses ('starting from the growth of cane and ends at...'). There are some grammatical inaccuracies, including tense inconsistency ('Canes took 12 to 18 months' using past tense for a general process fact) and minor prepositional errors ('harvesting is done through manual and with the help of machines'). However, these errors do not impede communication, and the overall sentence control is adequate for an intermediate level.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.