# Sugar cane to sugar process diagram: IELTS Writing Task 1 samples Writing Task 1 - Academic - Food The diagram below shows how sugar is produced from sugar cane. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. ![Process diagram of nine numbered stages from top to bottom. In the field: 1 Growing, cane grows in tropical fields for about a year; 2 Harvesting, stalks are cut and taken by truck to the mill. At the sugar mill: 3 Crushing, heavy rollers squeeze the juice out of the cane, with a by-product, bagasse, the leftover fibre, burned to power the mill; 4 Clarifying, juice is heated with lime so impurities settle; 5 Evaporating, water is boiled off, leaving a thick syrup; 6 Crystallising, syrup is boiled in vacuum pans until crystals form; 7 Centrifuging, spinning drums separate crystals from liquid, with a by-product, molasses, a dark syrup sold for animal feed and rum; 8 Drying and cooling, crystals are dried with hot air, then cooled; 9 Packing, sugar is bagged and sent to shops and factories.](https://testmigo.com/images/ielts-practice/sugar-from-sugar-cane-process.svg) How sugar is produced from sugar cane, with two by-products. Diagram drawn by Testmigo for practice. Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo. ## Band 6 sample The diagram shows how sugar is made from sugar cane. There are nine stages, two of them happen in the field and the rest happen at a sugar mill. First, sugar cane is grown in tropical fields for about one year. Then it is harvested and the stalks are taken to the mill by truck. At the mill, the cane is crushed by heavy rollers to get the juice. The fibre which is left is called bagasse and it is burned to make power for the mill. Next, the juice is heated with lime, so the impurities are settle down. After that, the water is boiled off and the juice become a thick syrup. The syrup is boiled again in vacuum pans until crystals form. Then a centrifuge separate the crystals from the liquid, and this liquid is molasses, which is sold for animal feed and rum. Finally, the crystals are dried with hot air and cooled, and the sugar is packed in bags and sent to shops and factories. In conclusion, the process has many stages and produce two by-products. **Examiner notes.** This Band 6 report covers every stage in order and mentions both by-products, so the reader can follow the process. However, the only overview is the closing sentence ("the process has many stages"), which adds little, and the report reads as a list of steps joined by "Then" and "After that". Errors such as "are settle down", "the juice become" and "a centrifuge separate" are noticeable but do not block meaning. For Band 7, the writer would give an overview after the introduction, summarizing where the process happens and what it produces, and use the passive more accurately. ## Band 7 sample The diagram illustrates the process of producing sugar from sugar cane, from growing the plant to packing the finished product. Overall, there are nine stages, the first two of which take place in the field, while the remaining seven are carried out at a sugar mill. In addition to sugar, the process yields two by-products: bagasse and molasses. To begin with, sugar cane is grown in tropical fields for approximately a year before the stalks are cut and transported by truck to the mill. There, the cane is crushed between heavy rollers to extract the juice. The fibre that remains, known as bagasse, is burned to provide power for the mill. The juice is then heated with lime so that impurities settle out, and the water is boiled off to leave a thick syrup. This syrup is boiled further in vacuum pans until crystals form, after which spinning drums separate the crystals from the remaining liquid, molasses, which is sold for animal feed and rum production. In the final stages, the sugar crystals are dried with hot air, cooled and bagged, ready to be sent to shops and factories. **Examiner notes.** This Band 7 report gives a clear overview that states where the stages happen and names the two by-products. The body groups the stages sensibly, and structures such as "the first two of which take place in the field" show good control. However, the overview does not explain the main idea of the process, how juice is gradually turned into solid crystals, and some sentences follow the diagram labels closely. A Band 8 report would summarize the logic of the process in the overview and describe the steps with more precise, economical language. The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/writing/topics/task-1/sugar-from-sugar-cane-process). ## Common questions ### How many words should I write? At least 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2. Writing a little more is fine; an answer under the minimum loses marks. ### Can I use these sample answers in my test? No. Memorised material is marked down and you will not get this exact question. Use the samples to see what each band does with the same task.