Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-04
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 5.5)
The given bar graph illustrates the information about the income of various categories of one country's exports during 2015 and 2016. Also, it mentions the comparison of change in values from 2015 to 2016 in percentage.
According to the bar graph, petroleum products value was 60 billion dollars, in 2015. This figure rose, at 65 billion dollars , in 2016. The value of engineered goods was 55 billion dollars in 2015, while the figure went up by 5 billion dollars, in 2016. There was 50 billion dollars value of the gems and jewellery products in 2015 and this figure is only one which decreased in 2016, at 45 billion dollars. Additionally, the value for agricultural products was same in the given both of the years. There was also increase trend in textiles industry from 2015 to 2016, by almost 8 billion dollars.
As per the given information below the bar chart, we can saw highest changes in textiles industry almost, at 15.24% from 2015 to 2016. Furthermore, the lowest percentage of changes was in agricultural products. Also, there was 3% and 5.18% of change in value of engineered goods and gems and jewellery respectively. However, there was 8.5% of increase in the value of petroleum products from 2015 to 2016.
Overall, the highest earning of export was petroleum products in both of the given the years and the lowest one was textiles industry. Moreover, in terms of changes from 2015 to 2016, there was a significant change in textiles and a few change in agricultural products.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by reporting on both the absolute values and the percentage changes. However, the presentation of data is somewhat mechanical, listing figures category by category rather than synthesising the information into clear trends or meaningful comparisons. While the main features are identified, the overview is slightly weak; it focuses on the highest and lowest earners but misses the opportunity to highlight the overall growth trend across most categories. To reach a higher band, you should group data more effectively to show relationships between the categories rather than just listing them sequentially.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs for the values and percentages, and a summary. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Additionally', 'Furthermore', and 'However', though some transitions feel a bit repetitive or mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between the two paragraphs discussing the data could be smoother. The referencing is mostly clear, although the phrasing 'the given both of the years' is slightly awkward and impacts the flow of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'percentage change', and 'significant change'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'we can saw' (should be 'we can see'), 'there was also increase trend' (should be 'an increasing trend'), and 'a few change' (should be 'little change'). These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Incorporating more precise reporting verbs and nouns would improve the quality of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the highest earning of export') and prepositions ('rose, at 65 billion'). Some sentences are slightly disjointed due to punctuation errors, such as unnecessary commas in 'rose, at 65 billion dollars , in 2016'. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of the data. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles when discussing specific data points.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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