Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-09

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 5.0)

The bar graph demonstrates the changing ratio in five different category of exports in country including( petroleum, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textile) in 2016 compared with 2015.

Overall, it is clear that, petroleum products showed the upward trend of exports earning in 2016 as opposed to textiles while, textiles experienced a decline in both years.

At the beginning of the period, petroleum products ratio increased up to 8.5% in 2016 as opposed to in 2015. This is followed by dipped slightly in engineered goods in 2016 however , by increasing to 3% by year(2015).

In contrast, gems and jewellery comprised relatively minor fraction about 5.18% in 2016,but grew steadily in 2015. Meanwhile, after that, it rose to 0.81% in agricultural products in comparison with 2015. Subsequently, 2016 shows a significant increase in textiles at the value of 15.24%. By the end of the period, except gems and jewellery, all product categories shows an upward trend in 2016 as compared with year 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarize the data but struggles with accuracy and clarity. The overview is confusing, as it states textiles experienced a decline, while the data indicates a significant increase. Furthermore, the description of the data is often contradictory or mathematically unclear, such as the reference to '8.5% in 2016 as opposed to in 2015' without clarifying if this is the percentage change or the total value. The report fails to clearly distinguish between the absolute values and the percentage changes provided in the table, leading to a lack of coherence in the reporting of main features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is often illogical. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes misused, such as 'Meanwhile, after that' and 'This is followed by dipped slightly'. The referencing is frequently unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the two years. While there is an attempt to use transition words, they do not effectively link the data points, and the overall structure feels disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. There are several instances of awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'changing ratio in five different category' and 'petroleum products showed the upward trend of exports earning'. The student struggles to use precise terminology for describing trends (e.g., 'dipped slightly in engineered goods' is grammatically incomplete). Some vocabulary is used inaccurately, which occasionally impedes the reader's understanding of the data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('all product categories shows') and incorrect preposition usage. Sentence structures are often simplistic or fragmented, and there are errors in punctuation, such as the placement of commas and parentheses. While the meaning is generally discernible, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction and the lack of complex, error-free structures limit the score in this criterion.

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