Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The bar chart displays information about the value of exports in five categories by one country during 2015 and 2016, while table illustrates the percentage change in value of exports in various categories in 2016 compared with 2015.
Overall, petroleum products generated the highest export in both years, while textile experienced significant growth. Most categories recorded an increased earning, with one exception of gems and jewellary.
In 2015, petroleum products were leading export, earning approximately $61 billion, followed by engieered goods at around $58 billion. By 2016, petroleum products increased by 3%, which was $63 billion. Similarly, engineered goods increased considerably to approximately $63 billion, rose 8.5%.
Export of gems and jewellary declined from $53 billion to $ 51 billion, which was equivalent to 5.18% droped. In contrast, agriculture products showed only 0.81% growth and rose up to $43 billion. Furthermore, Textiles recorded the highest growth, rising from at just below $40 billion to at just over $40 billion, which was inclined by 15.24%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover all major parts of the prompt, providing an overview and mentioning data points from both the bar chart and the table. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies regarding the numbers. For instance, the student states that gems and jewellery declined from $53 billion to $51 billion, whereas the chart shows 2015 at $43 billion and 2016 at $41 billion. Similarly, agricultural products are reported as reaching $43 billion, when the chart shows them at $31 billion in both years. These inaccurate readings of the visual data pull down the task achievement score, as the information reported does not accurately reflect the provided source material.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is structured into an introduction, an overall summary paragraph, and two body paragraphs covering specific data details. Cohesive devices such as 'while', 'In contrast', and 'Furthermore' are used to connect ideas and create a logical flow. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct function in presenting the data. However, occasional referencing and logical progression issues arise due to the confused data points, though the overall layout remains coherent enough to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, including terms like 'export earnings', 'percentage change', 'categories', and 'growth'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary ('considerably', 'declined'), but these are undermined by repeated spelling errors (e.g., 'jewellary', 'engieered') and imprecise word choices. Furthermore, the misuse of data leads to awkward collocations and factual contradictions. Overall, the lexical range is adequate for the task but marred by noticeable inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'which was equivalent to 5.18% droped'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several serious errors in grammar and verb forms, such as 'which was inclined by 15.24%' and 'rising from at just below $40 billion to at just over $40 billion'. Punctuation and preposition use are also faulty in places. These errors occasionally hinder the clarity of the message, though basic sentence structures remain comprehensible.
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