Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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 displays the information about the amount spent, which is measured in billions of Dollars, by the country on the various categories (petroleum products, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agriculture products and textiles) in between the time period of 2015 to 2016 while the table illustrates the proportion of change in those categories by comparing in the same years.

Overall, in the terms of petroleum products, the country spent more on this in 2016 as opposed to in 2015. The expenditure on textiles was lower in 2015 as compared to 2016.

In terms of petroleum products, the country spent more on this approximately 65 billions$ in 2016 as opposed to in 2015 of amount exactly 60 billions$ and the percentage of petroleum products was also increased by 3%. The expenditure on engineered goods were higher in 2016 of amount exactly 60 billions$ as compared to 2015 of amount approximately 55 billions$ and 8.5% of value was increased during that period of time.

The country spent higher on the gems and jewellery category in 2015 of amount approximately 42 billions$ as compared to 2016 of amount exactly 40 billions$ but there was decrement of 5.18% in there value. In terms if agriculture products, the country spent approximately same amount on that and 0.81% of increased in value. the country pent least on the textiles and the value of textile was higher in 2016 of amount exactly 30 billions$ as opposed to in 2015 of value approximately 25 billions$ and 15.24% value was increased.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two years. You successfully highlighted the trends for all categories. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it merely lists two categories rather than summarizing the most significant trends across the entire dataset. To reach a higher band, ensure the overview captures the 'big picture'—for example, noting that most categories saw growth except for gems and jewellery. The data is generally accurate, though the presentation of figures could be more concise to improve the flow of information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'in terms of' and 'as opposed to', but these are used repetitively, making the flow feel somewhat mechanical. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is clear, but the internal structure of the body paragraphs could be improved by grouping information more effectively rather than listing each category one by one. Referencing is generally clear, but the use of 'there' instead of 'their' and minor punctuation errors slightly disrupt the cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'proportion', and 'category'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word-choice errors, such as 'amount exactly 60 billions$' (should be 'a value of exactly $60 billion') and 'there value' (should be 'their value'). The repetition of 'amount' and 'value' suggests a limited range of synonyms. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that currency and numerical units are formatted correctly in an academic style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The expenditure on engineered goods were higher') and incorrect preposition usage ('in between the time period of 2015 to 2016'). Additionally, there are minor errors with articles and capitalization ('the country pent least'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic 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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