Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16

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 4.5)

The given table illustrates a country's export in various fields from 2015 to 2016. The table compares the change in percentage of each categories from 2015 to 2016.

The petroleum graph is touching the sky since 2015 and is still increasing in 2016. Engineered goods graph is also the same as petroleum with minor decrease. However gems are the only ones whose graph is decreasing during the certain time. Export of agriculture is almost however textiles export increases.

In the given table initially we are talking about the export of petroleum products. These products have the wide range of export in 2015 about 71 percent and in 2016 it increases to 73 percent. Further, engineered goods export in 2015 was about 68 percents however in 2016 in inreases significantly to 72 percent. Gems and jewellery export was 53 percent in 2015 however in 2016 it decreases to 51 percent. Jewels are the only goods whose export decreases during the certain period. Agricultural goods export was almost same during 2015 and 2016 with a minor increase in 2016 about 1 percent. Textiles export was about 37 percent in 2015 and in 2016 it was about 42 percent similar to the export of agricultural goods in 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The student attempts to report data from the charts, but the response contains severe inaccuracies and misreadings of the visual information. For instance, the student states that petroleum products were 'about 71 percent' in 2015 and increased to '73 percent', which demonstrates a complete misinterpretation of the axes and data (values were actually around $61 billion and $63 billion). Furthermore, the overview section contains vague and colloquial phrasing ('touching the sky', 'graph is also the same as petroleum') rather than summarising main trends. Key data points such as the percentage changes provided in the table are largely ignored or incorrectly converted into percentages. Consequently, this falls under Band 4 as the response is minimal and contains distorted reporting of facts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive statements and poor paragraph organisation. The overview fails to provide a clear summary of main trends, and sentences within the body lack clear links. Cohesive devices are used in a very limited or repetitive manner (e.g., 'however', 'further'), and referencing is often unclear, such as 'Gems and jewellery export was 53 percent... Jewels are the only goods whose export decreases'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structure and flow are disjointed, resulting in a Band 5 performance for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The student uses basic and repetitive vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'export', 'products', 'goods', and 'increases'. There are also inappropriate or non-academic lexical choices used for an IELTS Task 1, such as 'touching the sky'. Less common vocabulary is either misused or inaccurate (e.g., confusing billions with percentages, stating '71 percent'). Spelling is generally acceptable, but word choice and collocation errors frequently impede clear communication and demonstrate a limited, inadequate range for an academic task, aligning with Band 4 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The student demonstrates control over very simple sentence structures, but attempts at more complex sentences often lead to grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Examples of errors include 'each categories' (plural agreement error), 'in inreases significantly' (typographical and tense inconsistency), and 'Export of agriculture is almost however textiles export increases' (fragmented/incomplete comparison). Punctuation is basic, and grammatical inaccuracies are frequent throughout the text, sometimes causing strain for the reader. This corresponds to a Band 4 or Band 5 level of grammatical accuracy, with Band 4 best fitting the frequency of structural errors.

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

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