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 the 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 textiles experienced significant growth. Most categories recorded an increased earning, with one exception of gems and jewellery.
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 jewellery declined from $53 billion to $ 51 billion, which was equivalent to 5.18% drop. In contrast, agriculture products showed only 0.81% growth and rose up to $43 billion. Furthermore, textiles recorded the highest growth, rising from just below $40 billion to 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 | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student makes several significant errors when reading the data from the visual input, which impacts Task Achievement. For instance, the text states that gems and jewellery declined 'from $53 billion to $51 billion', whereas the chart clearly shows 2015 earnings at around $43 billion. Similarly, agricultural products are reported as rising up to $43 billion, when they actually remained constant at $31 billion. Furthermore, engineered goods are stated as $58 billion in 2015 (close to the true $57 billion), but the 2016 figure of $63 billion contradicts the visual data showing $62 billion. While the student provides an overview and selects some main features, the numerous inaccuracies in data extraction prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response features a clear overall arrangement with logical paragraphing. The introduction successfully paraphrases the prompt, followed by a concise overview paragraph that captures the primary trends. Body paragraphs are structured logically, attempting to group information by category performance. Cohesive devices such as 'while', 'Overall', 'By 2016', and 'In contrast' are used to connect ideas, although some referencing is clunky or misleading due to the inaccurate data being linked. Overall, the organizational structure is coherent and easy to follow, meeting the requirements for Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms such as 'generated', 'experienced significant growth', 'declined', and 'in contrast'. There are some attempts at less common lexical items and reporting verbs. However, there are noticeable vocabulary and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'highest export' instead of 'highest export earnings', and 'was inclined by 15.24%' where 'increased' or 'grew' would be correct. Spelling is generally good ('engineered', 'petroleum'), but the lexical slips and inaccurate data reporting limit the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses and introductory phrases effectively (e.g., 'while the table illustrates the percentage change...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing constructions, such as 'which was $63 billion' and 'rose 8.5%' without a connecting conjunction or participle. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors occur, they do not impede overall communication. The control of grammar corresponds well to the Band 6 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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