Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

below shows the value of one country’s exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The table shows the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 4.0)

The table shows a comparison of a country's earnings through export with various resources such as petroleum, engineered, gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textiles in 2015 and 2016.

The petrolum has highest earning as compared to other export products. In 2015, petrolum had almost 60.5 dollars earnings. Engineered goods had 60 dollars earning. Gems and jewellery were at 50 billions, agricultural were at higher than 40 billion. Textile was at very less earning as compared to others.

In 2016, the petrolum inc

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the subject and name all five export categories, and you correctly note that petroleum was the leading category. However, the response is very incomplete: it stops mid-sentence at “In 2016, the petrolum inc” and gives no usable comparison of the two years or overall summary of the main trends. Several figures are also substantially inaccurate: engineered goods were about $57 billion in 2015, not $60 billion; gems and jewellery were about $43 billion, not $50 billion; and agricultural products were about $31 billion, not above $40 billion. The response is also 67 words below the required minimum. To improve, complete the report and select accurate key comparisons, including the rise in textiles and the fall in gems and jewellery.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the report by introducing the chart and then discussing 2015 before moving to 2016. The sequence is understandable up to the point where the response ends, and phrases such as “In 2015” and “In 2016” help signal time. However, the second-year section is unfinished, so there is no complete progression or concluding overview. The first paragraph also lists categories without establishing a clear comparison, and the short statements do not connect the figures into a coherent account of the main patterns. Use complete paragraphs for an introduction, an overview, and grouped comparisons, with linking language that shows increases, decreases, and stability.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses relevant topic vocabulary, including “export products,” “earnings,” “petroleum,” and “gems and jewellery,” so the reader can generally identify the subject. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive, such as “had … dollars earnings,” “at very less earning,” and repeated use of “earning.” There is also a spelling error in “petrolum,” which appears more than once, and “resources” is not the most accurate term for the listed export categories. Aim for more precise chart language and natural collocations, such as “export revenue,” “stood at,” and “recorded the lowest value.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You produce several simple sentences with generally recognisable meaning, for example, “The petrolum has highest earning as compared to other export products.” There is an attempt to vary sentence openings by referring separately to 2015 and 2016. However, grammatical control is inconsistent: the opening sentence has an awkward structure, and “petrolum had almost 60.5 dollars earnings” lacks a natural grammatical pattern for reporting a value. The final sentence is incomplete (“In 2016, the petrolum inc”), which prevents the reader from understanding the intended point. Most sentences follow a basic pattern, with little evidence of controlled complex structures. Practise accurate comparative and reporting structures, and check that every sentence is complete.

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