Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The bar chart illustrates the amount spent, measured in billions of dollars, by a country on five different categories—petroleum products, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products, and textiles—in 2015 and 2016. The table shows the percentage change in the value of these categories over the same period.

Overall, spending on petroleum products, engineered goods, agricultural products, and textiles increased in 2016, whereas expenditure on gems and jewellery decreased.

The country spent approximately $65 billion on petroleum products in 2016, compared with exactly $60 billion in 2015, representing a 3% increase in value. Similarly, expenditure on engineered goods rose from approximately $55 billion in 2015 to exactly $60 billion in 2016, an increase of 8.5%.

Spending on gems and jewellery fell from approximately $42 billion in 2015 to $40 billion in 2016, a decrease of 5.18%. Expenditure on agricultural products remained almost unchanged, with a slight increase of 0.81%. Finally, the country spent the least on textiles, although expenditure increased from approximately $25 billion to exactly $30 billion, representing a 15.24% rise.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the trends and selected key data points to support your summary. The inclusion of both the absolute values and the percentage changes demonstrates a good grasp of the data provided. The main features are well-highlighted, and the comparisons between categories are relevant and accurate. The response is well-structured, covering the requirements of the prompt comprehensively without any significant omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs that group the data effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'whereas', and 'Finally' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the information. The progression of ideas is smooth, and each paragraph has a clear focus. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different aspects of the data, contributing to a coherent and easy-to-follow report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data accurately. Terms such as 'expenditure', 'remained almost unchanged', and 'representing a... rise' are used correctly. The vocabulary is precise and appropriate for an academic report. While the range is adequate, incorporating a few more sophisticated synonyms or varied ways to describe trends (e.g., 'witnessed a marginal increase' or 'experienced a contraction') could elevate the score further. Overall, the lexical control is strong and supports clear communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a good command of grammatical structures. You have successfully used a mix of simple and complex sentences, such as 'The country spent approximately $65 billion... compared with exactly $60 billion... representing a 3% increase'. Punctuation is accurate, and there are no significant errors that impede meaning. The majority of sentences are error-free, showing good control over tense and sentence construction. To reach a higher band, you could experiment with more varied complex sentence structures to demonstrate even greater flexibility.

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

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