Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-03

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 6.0)

The bar chart shows the amount of money made from exports of five products in 2015 and 2016. The money is in US$ billions.

Overall, petroleum products made the most money in both years. Most of the products increased, but gems and jewellery decreased.

In 2015, petroleum products were about 65 billion dollars. In 2016, it went up a little to about 67 billion dollars. Engineering goods were the second highest. In 2015 it was around 60 billion dollars and in 2016 it increased to about 65 billion dollars.

Gems and jewellery was 55 billion dollars in 2015. It went down to about 52 billion dollars in 2016. Agricultural products also increased. It was 42 billion dollars in 2015 and 44 billion dollars in 2016.

Textiles had the lowest amount. In 2015 it was 38 billion dollars and in 2016 it increased to 43 billion dollars. This was the biggest increase.

In conclusion, petroleum and engineering goods were the most important exports. Textiles grew the most and gems and jewellery was the only one that fell.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task, identifying the main features and providing relevant comparisons. You successfully highlighted the overall trend, the highest and lowest categories, and the specific movement of each export. However, the response could be improved by integrating the percentage change data mentioned in the prompt, which is currently missing. Including these figures would provide a more comprehensive analysis of the data provided. The overview is clear and effectively summarizes the main trends, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, but the lack of specific percentage data limits the depth of the analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the data, which aids readability. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In 2015', 'In 2016', and 'In conclusion' to transition between ideas. However, the flow is somewhat mechanical, and there is a reliance on simple sentence structures to link information. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more sophisticated linking words and better paragraph-to-paragraph transitions to create a more fluid narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'exports', 'categories', 'increased', and 'decreased' correctly. The language is clear and appropriate for a report. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the use of 'made money' and 'amount'. To improve, you should incorporate more varied and precise terminology related to data reporting, such as 'revenue', 'generated', 'fluctuated', or 'experienced a decline'. The current range is sufficient for communication but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While most sentences are clear and grammatically accurate, there are some minor issues with subject-verb agreement and pronoun reference, such as 'Gems and jewellery was' (should be 'were') and 'it went up' (referring to a plural category). Punctuation is generally correct, and errors do not impede communication. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as passive voice or subordinate clauses, while maintaining the high level of accuracy currently present in your simple sentences.

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

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