Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05

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 graph and table illustrates the total value of a country exports in various categories and the percentage change in each category of exports during 2015 and 2016.

Overall, petroleum products was dominating the export earnings of the country which was eventually surpassed by engineered goods. Furthermore expect gems and jewellery all other sectors have witnessed an increase in export earnings.

A detailed analysis of bar graph shows that in 2015, petroleum products was leading the exports table with 61 billion export earning followed by engineered goods at 60 billion export earnings and gems and jewellery at 55 billion export earnings then agricultural products at 42 billion export earning and at last textiles at 40 billion export earnings.

Furthermore petroleum products was over taken by engineered good by having a significant increase of 8.5% and export earnings 66 billion in 2016; whereas petroleum products have a slight increase of 3% and export earning at 65 billion in same period followed by gems and jewellery which had an moderate decline of 5.18% and export earning at 50 billion then textiles where it had the highest growth in the table of 15.24% and export earnings at 43 billion at last agricultural products and it had a negligible growth of 0.81% and export earning at 42 billion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and providing relevant data comparisons. You successfully highlighted the shift in leadership from petroleum to engineered goods and noted the growth trends. However, the overview is slightly underdeveloped; while you mention the dominance of petroleum and the growth of other sectors, it could be more precise. The data reporting is generally accurate, though there are minor inconsistencies in how you present the figures (e.g., '61 billion export earning' vs '61 billion'). To improve, ensure that the overview clearly synthesizes the most significant trends rather than just listing them, and maintain consistency in your numerical reporting style throughout the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into clear paragraphs, moving from an introduction to an overview and then into detailed body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'whereas', and 'at last' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow within the final paragraph is a bit cluttered due to the long, run-on sentence structure. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that your sentences are not overly dense, which can occasionally obscure the logical progression of your comparisons.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'surpassed', 'witnessed', 'negligible', and 'moderate decline'. These choices are appropriate for an academic report. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'export earning' (should be 'export earnings') and 'at last' (which is slightly informal for this context). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure consistent use of plural forms when referring to financial data. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the sophistication required for the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'petroleum products was dominating', 'graph and table illustrates') and missing articles. Additionally, some sentences are overly long and lack necessary punctuation, which affects the overall fluency. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly. Reducing the length of your sentences will help you maintain better control over your grammar and reduce the frequency of these minor errors.

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.