Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-02
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 8.0)
The bar chart illustrates the income generated by a country across five export categories in 2015 and 2016, measured in billions of US dollars. Additionally, the table details the percentage change in the value of each sector between these two years.
Overall, petroleum products remained the highest revenue earner in both years, whereas textiles accounted for the lowest earnings. While most sectors experienced an increase in export values, gems and jewellery was the only category to witness a decline.
In 2015, petroleum products generated the highest earnings at $60 billion, which rose slightly to $63 billion in 2016. Engineered goods followed a similar upward trend, increasing from $55 billion to $60 billion. In contrast, earnings from gems and jewellery dropped, whereas agricultural products and textiles saw slight growth, reaching around $50 billion and $42 billion respectively in 2016
Looking at the percentage changes, engineered goods experienced the highest growth at 8.5%, followed by textiles with a rise of 15.24%. Agricultural products and petroleum products also increased by 0.81% and 3% respectively. Conversely, gems and jewellery exports plummeted by 5.18%, making it the only sector with negative growth over the period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 8.0 |
| Overall | 8.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5
The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the main trends and successfully selected key data points to support your summary. The comparison between 2015 and 2016 is well-integrated, and the inclusion of both the absolute values and the percentage changes demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the data. The information is accurate and relevant, and the structure allows for a logical presentation of the main features. No significant omissions were noted, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the requirements of the prompt throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5
The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from an introduction and overview to specific data analysis. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'in contrast', and 'conversely' are used effectively to link ideas and contrast the performance of different sectors. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed body paragraphs. The flow of information is smooth, and referencing is clear throughout the text, ensuring that the reader can easily follow the comparison of the export categories across the two years.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.5
You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information with precision. Terms such as 'generated', 'revenue earner', 'upward trend', and 'plummeted' demonstrate a good command of topic-specific language. While the vocabulary is generally accurate and appropriate for an academic report, there is room to incorporate more sophisticated or varied synonyms to reach the highest band. The word choices are natural and contribute to the clarity of the report, with no errors that impede communication or cause confusion for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0
The response displays a good variety of complex structures, such as the use of subordinate clauses ('While most sectors experienced...') and participial phrases. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the control over punctuation and tense usage is strong. There are no significant grammatical errors that hinder understanding. To improve further, you could experiment with more diverse sentence patterns, such as using passive voice or more complex comparative structures to describe the data, although the current range is already quite effective for this task type.
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