Key features to report

• There are seven stages: growing, harvesting, crushing, purifying the juice, evaporation, separation in a centrifuge, and drying and cooling. A Band 7+ answer mentions every stage in the correct order.
• The process falls into two phases: an agricultural phase (growing for 12-18 months and harvesting) and an industrial phase in which the cane is turned into sugar.
• Harvesting can be done in two ways, by machine or by hand, as the two pictures and two arrows show.
• In the crushing stage the canes pass between rollers to extract the juice, which is then purified by passing it through a limestone filter.
• Heat is applied in the evaporator, where the juice becomes syrup; the centrifuge then separates sugar crystals from the syrup.
• The process is linear, not a cycle: it starts with a plant and ends with dried, cooled sugar, so the overview should state the start and end points.

Model overview

Overall, the production of sugar from sugar cane involves seven stages, beginning with the cultivation and harvesting of the plant and ending with the drying and cooling of the sugar. The process can be divided into an agricultural phase and a manufacturing phase in which the cane juice is extracted, purified and converted into crystals.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task: the diagram illustrates the stages involved in manufacturing sugar from sugar cane.

2. 2

   Overview

   Say how many stages there are, name the first and last stages, and divide the process into a farming phase and a factory phase. Do not give details such as the limestone filter here.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: growing, harvesting and crushing

   Describe the 12-18 month growing period, harvesting either by machine or by hand, and crushing the canes between rollers to extract the juice.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: purifying to drying

   Explain that the juice is purified through a limestone filter, heated in an evaporator until it becomes syrup, spun in a centrifuge to separate sugar crystals from the syrup, and finally dried and cooled to produce sugar.

Useful comparisons

• Divide the process into a natural, agricultural part (stages 1-2) and a mechanical, industrial part (stages 3-7).
• Contrast the two harvesting methods: mechanised harvesting with a machine that loads a trailer, and manual harvesting by a worker cutting the canes.
• Trace the changing form of the product: cane, then juice, then purified juice, then syrup, then crystals, then dry sugar.
• Use the passive voice throughout, because the focus is on what happens to the cane, not on who does it.
• Mention the equipment at each industrial stage: a crushing machine, a limestone filter, an evaporator heated from below, a centrifuge and a drying and cooling drum.
• Use sequencing language that varies, such as first, once harvested, following this, at the next stage, subsequently and finally.

Band 8+ model answer

202 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.

Why this answer scores highly

Task Achievement

Every stage is covered accurately and in sequence, including the 12-18 month growing time, the two harvesting methods and the function of each machine, and the overview identifies the start, end and two main phases.

Coherence and Cohesion

The process is split logically into two body paragraphs, and a variety of sequencers such as once, following this, subsequently and finally make the order clear without repetition.

Lexical Resource

Accurate process vocabulary such as extract, purified, evaporator, crystals and centrifuge is combined with paraphrases of the diagram labels rather than copying them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer uses the present simple passive consistently and accurately, together with relative clauses, time clauses and participle phrases to vary sentence structure.

Useful vocabulary

sugar cane

a tall tropical plant whose stems contain sweet juice

cultivate

grow a plant as a crop

harvest mechanically

gather a crop using machines

harvest manually

gather a crop by hand

crush

press something hard so that it breaks and releases liquid

extract the juice

remove the liquid from the plant

purify

remove unwanted substances to make something clean

limestone filter

a filter made of limestone that removes impurities from the juice

evaporator

a heated container in which water is removed from a liquid as steam

syrup

a thick, sweet liquid

centrifuge

a machine that spins very fast to separate substances

sugar crystals

small solid pieces of sugar

at the next stage

a sequencing phrase used to move to the following step

Common mistakes

• Leaving out a stage or describing stages in the wrong order, especially confusing the evaporator and the centrifuge.
• Missing the time period of 12-18 months for growing, which is one of the few specific details in the diagram.
• Ignoring the fact that harvesting can be done either by machine or by hand.
• Using active sentences with invented subjects such as farmers put the juice in a machine, instead of the passive.
• Adding information not in the diagram, such as how sugar is packaged or sold, or explaining the chemistry of the process.
• Leaving out the overview, or making it just a list of all seven stages.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

This diagram showing how sugar is made from sugar cane is Writing Task 1 of Test 2 in Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic, published in 2021.

Should I use the passive voice for this process?

Yes. A manufacturing process focuses on what happens to the material, so the present simple passive, for example the juice is purified, is the most natural choice, mixed with some active verbs for variety.

What should the overview say for a process diagram?

State how many stages there are, where the process starts and ends, and any obvious division, such as a farming phase followed by a factory phase.

How many words should I write?

Write at least 150 words; about 170-200 words is enough to describe all seven stages clearly.