Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-26
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 graph illustrates the one country's exports in various categories between 2015 and 2016, while the table below shows information about the percentage change in values in various categories during 2015 and 2016.
Overall, it is clear that the petroleum products and engineered goods have the overwhelming numbers in export earnings over the period, while agricultural products and textiles were the lowest. Furthermore, petroleum products, engineered goods, agricultural products and textiles increased in values while gems and jewellery is the only category that decreased.
According to the bar graph, export earnings of petroleum products recorded the highest numbers at 60 billions in 2015 raised to approximately 65 billions in 2016. Simultaneosly, engineered goods ranked number two in export earnings grow from roughly 55 billions in 2015 to 60 billions in 2016. In comparison, gems and jewellery showed reverse pattern, the figures dropped from 52 billions in 2015 to approximately 50 billions in 2016.
Regarding the percentage of change in values from 2015 to 2016, petroleum products, engineered good, agricultural products and textiles have raised while gems and jewellery were the only declined.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response covers the main features of the data well. You have successfully identified the trends for the categories provided and made relevant comparisons between the years. The overview is clear and highlights the key differences between the growing and declining sectors. However, the response could be improved by incorporating the specific percentage change figures provided in the table, rather than just stating that categories 'increased' or 'declined'. Including these specific data points would provide a more comprehensive summary of the information presented in the prompt, moving the response from a general description to a more analytical report.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', 'According to', and 'In comparison' helps to guide the reader through the information. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the final paragraph is somewhat repetitive of the overview. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph adds new information rather than restating previous points. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'export earnings', 'recorded', and 'reverse pattern'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'raised' (should be 'rose' or 'increased') and 'grow' (should be 'grew'). Additionally, 'overwhelming numbers' is not the most precise collocation for describing export values. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a marginal decline', and ensure that verb tenses are used correctly when describing past data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'the one country's exports' is awkward; 'the petroleum products... have raised' is incorrect usage of the verb; and 'gems and jewellery is the only category that decreased' lacks subject-verb agreement. There are also minor spelling errors like 'Simultaneosly'. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more error-free sentences and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of past tense verbs when reporting historical data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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