Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-10
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 chart below illustrates the value of exported products in different categories throughout the year 2015 and 2016. Whereas the table demonstrates the changes made in the earnings of each group by percentage in both years. Both graphs show information about the same country.
Overall, earnings of export had grouped into five different topics. Some of them grew over time while others declined.
Out of the five categories, petroleum products had the highest earning in both years years, unlike textiles export which had the least value every year. Engineered goods on the other hand, had the biggest improvement other than textiles compared to the others, whereas, agricultural products had the smallest rise. However, gems and jewellery was the only product that declined in a year.
If we look closely, textiles had topped the chart of improvement by 15.24% rise in a year. Whereas the only decline became 5.18% less than the last year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the data, such as identifying the highest and lowest categories and noting the decline in gems and jewellery. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the categories, you fail to provide specific data points from the table to support your claims, such as the actual export values for 2015 and 2016. The overview is present but lacks detail regarding the overall trends. To improve, ensure you integrate specific figures to substantiate your comparisons rather than just describing the trends in general terms. The response addresses the task requirements but lacks the depth of data reporting expected for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'If we look closely' is a bit informal for an academic report. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear; for instance, 'the only decline became 5.18%' is confusing because it does not explicitly link back to the specific category mentioned in the table. The progression of ideas is logical, but the flow between sentences could be smoother with a more varied range of linking words.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. You use basic terms like 'topics' instead of 'categories' or 'sectors', and 'improvement' is used repeatedly to describe growth. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'earnings of export had grouped into five different topics'. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to use more specific terminology related to data analysis, such as 'fluctuated', 'experienced a marginal increase', or 'accounted for the largest share'. The range is sufficient to convey meaning but remains limited.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. For example, 'earnings of export had grouped' is grammatically incorrect, and 'both years years' contains a repetition error. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'declined in a year' instead of 'declined over the year'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and more accurate sentence construction will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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