Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02
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 illustrates the comparison of exporting five different types of products in a country between 2015 and 2016, export quantity given in dollar billions. The table shows the percentages of increase or decrease in the compare of 2015.
Overall, export of all the categories of products were increased on the next year except of gems and jewellery. The petroleum products and engineered goods were exported in majorly. The agricultural products and textiles were least exported.
The petroleum products was exported in 2015 about 60$ billions which increased slightly about 3% in 2016 and reached around 65$ billions. Engineered goods were exported less than 60% billion in 2015 which is lower in compare to petroleum products. In 2016 this increased by 8.5% and accounted more than 60$ billions.
Gems and jewellery were hardly exported in compare to petroleum and engineered items, which were recorded more than 50$ billions in 2015 then slightly declined by 5.18% and reached about 50$ billion. The agricultural and textile products were least exported items the were exported about 40$ billion and 35$ billion respectively and then increased and reached around 40$ billion. Agricultural item increased by 0.81% while textiles product increased by 15.24%.
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 all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons. You successfully highlighted the overall trends and provided specific data points for both years. However, some of the data interpretation is slightly inaccurate or confusingly phrased, such as stating petroleum products were exported in 'majorly' or describing the 2015 figures for engineered goods as 'less than 60$ billion' when the chart shows a specific value. To improve, ensure that your data reporting is precise and that you clearly distinguish between the absolute values and the percentage changes provided in the table to avoid ambiguity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. There is a clear progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or awkward, such as 'in compare to' (used multiple times) and 'the were exported'. These errors in referencing and linking words occasionally disrupt the flow. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your referencing (e.g., 'the latter', 'this category') is accurate to improve the logical flow between sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'illustrates', 'categories', and 'declined'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'export quantity given in dollar billions' (should be 'in billions of dollars') and 'hardly exported' (which implies they were barely exported, rather than just being lower in value). Additionally, the phrase 'in compare to' is grammatically incorrect. To improve, focus on learning standard collocations for describing data and ensure you use the correct prepositional phrases when making comparisons.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('export of all the categories... were increased'), incorrect preposition use ('in the compare of 2015'), and awkward phrasing ('the petroleum products was exported'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions. Practicing the construction of complex sentences will also help you achieve better control over your grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.