Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-12
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 table illustrate the percentage change in value of one country's exports in different ways between 2015 and 2016.
First of all, exports earnings in 2015 and 2016 in all products such as petroleum, engineered, gems and jewellery, agriculture and textiles. Earnings in petroleum products slightly increased from 60 billions to 62 billions with the passage of time and it percentage change about 3 percent during this period. Earnings in engineered goods slightly lower then petroleum approximately 55 billions in 2015 and slightly increased to 60 billions in 2016 then it percentage change about 8.5 percent. Earnings in gems and jewellery slightly decreased from 40 to 38 billions from 2015 to 2016 while its percentage was about 5.18 percent during this period. Moving to another products like agriculture in this product earnings greatly decline from others product but its value remained same during this period and its percentage was about 0.18 percent. Earning in textiles decreased in 2015 and increased from 20 to 27 billions in 2016.
Overall, earnings increased in petroleum and engineered products while decreased in other 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 the main features of the table, including the categories and the percentage changes. However, there are significant inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you state that agriculture earnings 'remained same' and had a percentage change of 0.18%, whereas the table indicates a decline of 0.18%. Additionally, the description of textiles is confusing, stating it 'decreased in 2015 and increased from 20 to 27 billions in 2016', which misinterprets the data provided. While you have selected key features, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the misinterpretation of the percentage changes prevent a higher score. Ensure you double-check your data against the source material to ensure accuracy.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief overview. However, the logical flow is hindered by repetitive sentence structures and mechanical transitions. Phrases like 'First of all' and 'Moving to another products' are used, but the connection between sentences is often weak. The paragraphing is present, but the body paragraphs lack a clear thematic grouping, making the progression of ideas feel somewhat disjointed. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'conversely', 'in contrast', 'furthermore') to link your points more naturally and improve the overall flow of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'increased', 'decreased', and 'earnings'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'in this product earnings greatly decline from others product' and 'it percentage change'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'experienced a marginal rise', or 'witnessed a significant contraction', and ensure correct grammatical forms of nouns and adjectives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('The table illustrate'), incorrect use of articles ('it percentage change'), and prepositional errors ('lower then petroleum'). Additionally, there are issues with tense consistency and word forms (e.g., 'it percentage change about 3 percent'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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