Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-08

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 6.5)

The bar graph and table illustrate the value of a particular country's exports in five different categories in 2015 and 2016.

Overall, other than gems and jewellery all other showed a increase compared to previous year.

In 2015, petroleum products holds the largest share at $70 billions, followed by engineered goods at $67 billion and gems and jewellery stood at $53 billion. Subsequently, argicultural products accounted for $41 billion and textiles represented $36 billion and stood at the bottom.

By 2016, petrolem products still holds the greatest share and increased to $73 billion an 3% increase from previous year. Engineered goods followed next at $71 billion an increase of 8.5% from last year. In contrast, gems and jewellery saw a decline of 5.18% compared to 2015 and stood at $49 billion. Consequently, agricultural products saw a mild growth of 0.81% and increased to $42 billion and textiles saw the highest growth among all at 15.24% increase from previous year and stood at $43 billion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided data for both years. The overview is clear, though it could be more precise by mentioning the specific categories that saw growth versus decline. You have included all necessary data points and made relevant comparisons between the categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that your overview provides a more comprehensive summary of the overall trends rather than just stating that most categories increased. The data is accurate, and the distinction between the bar graph values and the percentage changes is handled well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into clear paragraphs, moving from an introduction to an overview, and then into detailed body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'In contrast' and 'Consequently' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally slightly mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the transition between the 2015 data and the 2016 data is smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, and the progression of information is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly, such as 'accounted for', 'represented', and 'growth'. There are some minor issues with word choice and spelling, such as 'petrolem' and 'argicultural'. While these do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'experienced a marginal increase' instead of 'saw a mild growth', and ensure careful proofreading to avoid simple spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as subject-verb agreement errors ('petroleum products holds' instead of 'hold') and tense inconsistencies ('all other showed a increase' instead of 'showed an increase'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding the data. To achieve a higher score, focus on consistent verb tense usage when describing past data and ensure that articles (a/an/the) are used correctly before nouns.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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