Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-07
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 5.0)
The graph illustrates the value of exportation of different categories of goods, such as petroleum, engines, gems and jewellery, agriculture, and textiles, for a single country over the period of 2 years, [redacted phone]. The table compares the proportion of change in each export category during these two years.
Overall, it is clear from the bar chart that petroleum has been a major contributor of earning. and less earning can be seen from export of textile.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
The opening identifies both the bar chart and the table and gives the correct two-year period, while the overview recognises petroleum as a leading export and textiles as a smaller category. However, the overview is incomplete: textiles were not the lowest in 2015, and by 2016 their value had risen to about $31 billion, matching agricultural products. The response does not report the key changes shown in the table, such as the strongest rise in textiles (15.24%) or the fall in gems and jewellery (5.18%), and it gives no supporting figures. Most importantly, at 75 words, it does not meet the required 150-word minimum. Add a fuller overview and select several accurate comparisons from both visuals.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable sequence: it first introduces the visuals and then begins an overview with “Overall”. This gives the reader a basic sense of the intended structure. However, the answer stops after two sentences, so there is no developed progression from overview to detailed comparisons, and the table is not discussed. The link between the chart and table is only stated in the introduction rather than used to organise the report. The punctuation in “earning. and less earning” also interrupts the flow. Use separate paragraphs for the introduction, overview and key details, and connect comparisons with clear references such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile” where appropriate.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “value”, “export”, “categories” and “proportion of change”, and the reader can identify the general subject. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing the visuals: “exportation” is less suitable than “exports”, “engines” mislabels engineered goods, and “less earning” is unclear. “Petroleum” and “textile” are also used as category labels where “petroleum products” and “textiles” would be more accurate. The limited range partly reflects the very short response; develop the report with precise terms for increases, decreases, stability and export values. This would make comparisons clearer and more appropriately academic.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response includes a correctly formed introductory sentence with a relative phrase (“categories of goods, such as…”) and a second sentence that clearly states what the table compares. These show basic control of sentence construction. However, the range is narrow, with no developed comparison structures, and there are some errors in sentence formation and punctuation. In “Overall, it is clear from the bar chart that petroleum has been a major contributor of earning. and less earning can be seen…”, the full stop wrongly separates the coordinated ideas, and the present perfect “has been” is not well suited to a chart covering the completed years 2015–2016. Use past-tense reporting and practise combining comparisons in accurate complex sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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