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 provided bar charts compare a country's exports in different categories between 2015 and 2016. To summarize, every product saw a rise in its exports in comparison to the previous year. However, the textile grew considerably over a period of one year, but the gems and jewellery experienced a slight decline in its exports in 2016.
The fuel products and the engineering items witnessed 3 percent and 8.5 percent growth and its exports were at 60 and approximately 55 billion dollars in 2015 respectively, and both reached around 62 billion dollars in 2016. Furthermore, the agricultural products saw a marginal increase of just 0.81 percent and surged to just over 40 billion dollars in 2016. While, the textiles underwent an exponential increase of 15.24% and attained 40 billion dollars mark in 2016. On the other hand, the gems and jewellery's export dipped from 50 billion dollars in 2015 to around 45 billion dollars in 2016. The overall percentage drop was 5.18 percent.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have successfully identified the main features and provided relevant comparisons. However, there is a significant factual error in your summary: you stated that 'every product saw a rise in its exports', which contradicts the data showing a decline in gems and jewellery. Furthermore, your description of the textile growth as 'exponential' is an exaggeration for a 15.24% increase. While you covered all categories, the accuracy of your reporting is compromised by these misinterpretations of the provided data. To improve, ensure you cross-reference your summary statements with the specific figures provided in the table to avoid contradictory claims.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is logically organised into an introduction and a body paragraph. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'While' to link ideas. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraph is slightly abrupt. The use of 'While' at the start of a sentence is grammatically awkward in this context. Paragraphing is present, but the body paragraph is quite dense; splitting the data into two paragraphs—perhaps one for growth categories and one for the decline—would improve the flow and readability of your report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'marginal increase', 'surged', and 'attained'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'the textile grew' should be 'textile exports grew', and 'the gems and jewellery's export' is slightly clunky. The use of 'exponential' is also imprecise in a mathematical context. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations related to data trends and ensure that your vocabulary choices accurately reflect the scale of the changes described.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that slightly impede clarity, such as 'the textile grew' (missing noun) and 'its exports were at 60... and its exports were at 60... and both reached' (repetitive and slightly confusing pronoun usage). Additionally, 'While, the textiles underwent...' is punctuated incorrectly. While your meaning is generally clear, these recurring errors in subject-verb agreement and sentence structure prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical consistency and refining your use of complex sentence connectors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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