Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-12

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 exports of the country seems to have undergone through considerable changes during the last one year. The table shows that the value of multiple items has changes both upward and downward. As indicated in the table it is mentioned that petroleum products are up by 3 percent as compared to last year. Moreover, engineered goods are up by 8.5 percent which is the second biggest jump after textiles which are up by 15.24 percent, comparing to the last year commodity value. However, the table shows downward trajectory in export value when it comes to gems and jewellery which are down by 5.18 percent, indicating low economic growth in this critical sector. Despite low performance in gems and jewellery, the country's exports of agricultural products are on the rise which are up by 0.18 percent, indicating a positive sign of economic growth. Thus, the overall export value of the country's products is ascending, showing better performance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers the main features of the table, addressing both upward and downward trends across categories such as petroleum products, engineered goods, textiles, and gems and jewellery. The student provides accurate data points and comparisons, such as noting that engineered goods had the second biggest jump after textiles. However, the report is presented as a single block paragraph without any introduction or overview paragraph distinguishing the general trends from specific data. This impacts the overall coverage and structuring of task requirements, aligning the response with a Band 6.0 level where parts of the task are addressed, but some organisational elements of Academic Task 1 are underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to link ideas using cohesive devices like 'moreover', 'however', and 'despite'. However, the major drawback is the lack of paragraphing, as the entire response is written as one single block. This makes the progression of information less structured than required for higher bands. While referencing is generally understandable, the absence of clear paragraph divisions places the response firmly in Band 5.5, as there is no clear logical organisation into distinct introduction, body, and overview paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'downward trajectory', 'economic growth', and 'ascending'. There are, however, some awkward collocations and lexical errors, such as saying 'undergone through' instead of 'undergone', and 'comparing to' instead of 'compared to'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main data points clearly, which fits the Band 6.0 descriptor for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'which are down by 5.18 percent, indicating low economic growth'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, notably 'The exports of the country seems to have undergone through', where 'seems' should be plural to match 'exports', and the inclusion of unnecessary prepositions. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

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

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