Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 processing diagram illustrates the following steps of making sugar from raw sugar cane.

Overall, there are seven processing steps which are followed by processing workers from growing sugar cane to make crystal sugar.

First of all, sugar cane plants are planted and they take 12-18 months to harvest. After that there are two methods to collect these plants, one is cutting down by big cutting machine and the other is manually cutting by hands. After that these plants are crushed to make juice and put into a limestone filter where the juice are being filtered.

Then, the purified juice are being heated in a pot. After evaporating the juice becomes thick and transformed into syrup. the syrup is put into a centrifuge machine to separate crystal sugar from syrup. finally, the crystal sugar are putted into a container for drying and cooling. After that, we get dry and crystal sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response covers the process in the correct order and includes the key stages, from growing the cane for 12–18 months through harvesting, crushing, purification, evaporation, centrifuging, and drying and cooling. The overview identifies seven stages and the transformation into crystal sugar, while details such as the two harvesting methods and the limestone filter show good coverage. This meets the task well, with some features more fully described than others: for example, the final drying and cooling stage is mentioned, but the diagram’s separation of sugar crystals from syrup could be explained more precisely. To strengthen the summary further, keep the description strictly aligned with the diagram and avoid adding unsupported details such as workers following the steps or sugar being put into a container.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence and is divided into an introduction, an overview, and two stages of process description. Linking phrases such as “First of all,” “After that,” and “Then” help the reader follow the stages. However, the repeated use of “After that” makes the progression somewhat mechanical, and the final paragraph contains several stages in one long sequence. Some references are also unclear, particularly “these plants” and “the syrup,” which could be made more precise. Use a wider range of natural sequencing expressions and group related stages into clearer sentences—for example, describe evaporation and centrifuging together, then give the drying and cooling stage its own concluding sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is adequate vocabulary for describing the process, including “limestone filter,” “evaporating,” “syrup,” and “centrifuge,” and the reader can understand the main stages. The response also attempts process-specific wording such as “crushed” and “purified.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “big cutting machine” is less suitable than a specific term for the mechanical harvester, and “crystal sugar” is repeated where “sugar crystals” would be more natural. Phrases such as “cutting down by big cutting machine” and “putted into a container” also show limited control of collocation and word form. Aim for concise, accurate process vocabulary rather than adding informal or unsupported descriptions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the time clause “they take 12–18 months to harvest” and the sequence “After evaporating the juice becomes thick and transformed into syrup.” Most meanings remain clear, but some grammatical errors recur. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “the juice are being filtered” and “the purified juice are being heated”; the latter also needs a clearer verb construction. There are tense and sentence-boundary issues, including the lowercase “the syrup” and “finally” after full stops. The passive form “are putted” is incorrect. Review agreement with uncountable nouns such as “juice,” use accurate passive forms, and punctuate each stage consistently.

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