Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-01

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 illustration dipits the stages of sugar production.

Overall, there are 7 stages involved in procesing of suger starting from growing the suger cane for a period of time to the last step which is drying and cooling.

The first phase of manufacturing suger is growing the suger cane for about 1 year and above. Then it will be harvested either by a machine or manually before crushing to bring out the juice for purification using a limestone filter.

Furthermore, an evaporator is used to heat the juice to become a syrup, before centrifuge takes place. This is segregating the suger crystals from syrup. Coming to the last stage where the drying and cooling takes place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the main parts of the diagram, successfully outlining the overall 7-stage linear process from growing sugar cane to drying and cooling. It captures key mechanical and chemical steps such as crushing, purifying with a limestone filter, evaporation, and centrifugation. However, it fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, coming in significantly short at 116 words. This results in some aspects being under-developed or summarized too briefly. To reach a higher level, the writer must ensure they fully satisfy the word count requirement while extending descriptions of specific steps, such as detailing the dual harvesting methods shown in the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear beginning, middle, and end, supported by a basic introduction and a logical division into paragraphs that follow the chronological sequence of the diagram. Cohesive devices are used to link steps, such as 'Overall', 'Then', 'Furthermore', and 'Coming to the last stage'. While logical progression is generally maintained, referencing is at times slightly mechanical or abrupt, particularly in transitions like 'Coming to the last stage where the drying and cooling takes place.' To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to employ a wider and more sophisticated range of cohesive devices and ensure smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphs without relying on formulaic phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common technical terms related to the process, such as 'evaporator', 'limestone filter', 'centrifuge', and 'crystals'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors that detract from the quality of the writing, including 'dipits' instead of 'depicts', 'procesing', and the repeated misspelling of 'suger' instead of 'sugar'. Additionally, 'segregating' is an awkward collocation in this context compared to 'separating'. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score. To improve, the writer must expand their control of spelling and ensure accurate word forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and passive structures such as 'is used to heat the juice' and 'where the drying and cooling takes place'. There are some grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('before centrifuge takes place') and awkward phrasing in clunky sentence constructions like 'before crushing to bring out the juice'. However, the errors present are infrequent and rarely impede overall communication. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex grammatical structures with increased accuracy and better control over article usage and prepositional patterns.

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

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