Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22

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 bar chart compares the export earning in period between 2015 to 2016, while the other figure shows that the percentage changes in the value of each category over the period.

The export earning in four out of five category. Textiles experienced the most significant growth, whereas the gems and jewellery were the only category remain decline.

In 2015, petroleum products generated the $65 billions export earnings, and this figure rose slightly to around 3% increase. Engineering goods were second largest category, with earning $60 billions in 2015. by 2016 climbed $55 billions and increased of 8.5 %.

In contrast, earning from gems and jewellery fell from $52 billion to $50 bilions, which respected the decreased of 5.18%. in agriculture products showed almost no changes it remaining at around $ 40 billion, it increased of just 0.81%.

finally, textiles recorded $38 billion in 2015 and it climbed to the $42 billion in 2016 and it incresed in 15.24%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and providing relevant data comparisons. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the description of engineering goods contains a significant factual error, stating the value 'climbed' to $55 billion when the data shows a decrease from $60 billion. Additionally, the overview is weak; it lacks a clear summary of the overall trends, such as which sectors grew and which declined. While the key features are highlighted, the accuracy of the reporting needs improvement to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For example, the second paragraph is incomplete ('The export earning in four out of five category'), and the use of cohesive devices is sometimes repetitive or misused, such as the abrupt start of the final paragraph. While the information is generally grouped by category, the progression between sentences could be smoother and more cohesive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'respected the decreased of 5.18%' and 'it increased of 15.24%'. These errors indicate a lack of control over collocations and grammatical structures related to data reporting. While the student uses some relevant terminology like 'export earnings' and 'category', the overall lexical control is limited, and the frequent errors in reporting percentages and values detract from the clarity of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('gems and jewellery were the only category remain decline'), incorrect preposition usage ('increased of 8.5%'), and punctuation errors. These errors are noticeable and occasionally impede the reader's understanding of the data. To improve, the student should focus on basic sentence construction and the correct use of verb tenses when describing past trends.

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

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