Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The bar chart compares the export revenue from different types of products, such as, from petroleum, engineering, gems and jewellery etc. between 2015 and 2016 in a country, while the table demonstrates the percentage change in values of the products.

It is clearly noticeable that petroleum was the leading money seeker in 2015, while in 2016, engineering goods shared the place with them. The other sectors witnessed a stable rise in earnings, but gems and jewellery saw a slight decline.

Petroleum products attracted most of the foreign money in both of the years, although its price increased 3% in the following year. Engineering goods was the second most money making sector, but in 2016, it almost earned the same amount of money as petroleum, although it had the highest amount of price-hike.

Gems and jewellery dropped its earnings in 2016 despite its price fall. Agricultural products and textiles had price hikes

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to complete the task as it is incomplete. The final sentence is cut off mid-thought, and the data analysis is insufficient. While you identify the leading sectors, you do not provide a comprehensive overview of the data provided in the table. The comparison between 2015 and 2016 is superficial, and the lack of a concluding summary or a fully developed body paragraph means that several key features of the data are ignored. To improve, ensure you cover all categories mentioned in the prompt and provide a clear, finished summary of the trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete nature of the final paragraph. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'while' and 'although', but they are sometimes used in a repetitive or slightly mechanical way. The referencing is generally clear, but the lack of a cohesive conclusion makes the overall flow feel disjointed. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your ideas are fully developed before moving to the next point.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'export revenue', 'leading money seeker', and 'witnessed a stable rise'. However, there are some awkward collocations and informal phrasing, such as 'money seeker' and 'money making sector', which are not appropriate for an academic report. There is also a lack of precision in describing the data. To reach a higher band, focus on using more formal, precise vocabulary related to statistics and economic trends, such as 'fluctuation', 'significant increase', or 'marginal decline'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'Engineering goods was' (subject-verb agreement) and 'Gems and jewellery dropped its earnings' (incorrect pronoun usage). The final sentence is incomplete, which is a major grammatical failure. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the overall control of complex structures is inconsistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that every sentence you write is complete and grammatically sound.

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