Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-27

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 depicts step by step procedure of how sugar is produced in mills using sugar cane.

Sugar cane is grown in the fields by the farmers that is then to be processed through a number of techniques, in order to produce high end edible suar.

From plantation to full ripe sugar canes, it takes 12 to 18 months in the crop fields. After this whole time the crops are harvested by means of suitable machinery and manual techniques. For further processing the sugar cane is crushed resulting in the production of the juice. This juice is then purified in the limestone filter. Afterwards, this purified juice is forced into the evaporator, here this turns into thin syrup because of the provided high temperature. Now, in the centrifuge, high speed spinning separates the sugar crystals from the syrup and then cooling and drying is performed resulting in distribution ready sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all the key stages of the sugar manufacturing process, starting from the 12 to 18 months growing period, through harvesting, crushing, juice purification, evaporation, and centrifugation, down to final drying and cooling. The main features are clearly reported in a logical sequence, fulfilling the requirements of an Academic Task 1 summary. While there is no separate overview paragraph, the essential trends and stages are integrated throughout the body of the text. Minor details like the dual methods of harvesting (manual versus mechanical) are touched upon generally rather than broken down explicitly, but this does not detract from the overall clarity of the response. The information is entirely faithful to the provided diagram without any extraneous or invented details, earning a solid band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a clear logical progression from the beginning of the manufacturing process to the final product. The writer makes use of appropriate sequencing and time-related cohesive devices such as 'From plantation to full ripe', 'After this whole time', 'For further processing', 'This juice is then', and 'Afterwards'. Paragraphing is partially utilized, though the middle body paragraph is quite dense and could have been broken down further to enhance readability. Reference words are generally clear, though minor linking issues, such as the dangling clause in 'Sugar cane is grown in the fields by the farmers that is then to be processed', slightly impact the overall flow. Cohesion is functional and adequate for a Band 6.5 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for a process diagram, incorporating terms such as 'plantation', 'machinery', 'purified', 'evaporator', 'centrifuge', and 'distribution ready'. However, there are a few spelling and word-choice errors, notably 'suar' instead of 'sugar', and awkward phrasings like 'full ripe sugar canes' instead of 'fully ripened sugar cane'. Less common lexical items are used with mixed success; while words like 'evaporator' and 'centrifuge' are taken directly from the prompt, the student successfully integrates them into their own sentence structures. Lexical control is generally adequate, but errors prevent it from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'resulting in the production of the juice', 'high speed spinning separates'). However, there are notable grammatical slips and awkward punctuation. For instance, the sentence 'Sugar cane is grown in the fields by the farmers that is then to be processed' contains a restrictive relative clause error and slight word order awkwardness. Additionally, there is a double comma typo ('Now, in the centrifuge'). Despite these errors, the majority of simple sentences are accurate, and the mistakes do not impede overall comprehension, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

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

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