Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The bar chart illustrates that how the percentages for good's export changes across different categories in 2015 and 2016.

Overall, it is explicitly evident from the graph that all categories experienced gradual growth, instead of gems and jewellery, which saw a slight decline.

Delving into the data, a close inspection reveals that petroleum and engineering products commanded the line's share of the chart, contributed to exponential rise in export level of 3% and 8.5% in final year.In contrast, the percentages for gems and jewellery fell to exactly 5.18%.

Regarding other categories, textiles sector depicted the highest annual growth of 15.24%, while agricultural products increased marginally to approximately 0.81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the main features of the chart and table, noting overall trends such as the growth in most categories and the decline in gems and jewellery. Key data points like the highest growth in textiles (15.24%) are highlighted. However, the response falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 108 words. Furthermore, there are some data misinterpretations; for instance, the student states that petroleum and engineering products experienced rises in export levels of 3% and 8.5% 'in final year', confusing the actual export values (63 and 62 billion) with the percentage change figures. Because of the severe under-length penalty and these inaccuracies, the task achievement score is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is structured with an introduction, an overall statement, and a body paragraph providing details. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Delving into the data', 'In contrast', and 'Regarding other categories' are employed to guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used adequately for a short response, though the logical progression is occasionally hindered by imprecise phrasing and misinterpretation of the data points. Overall, the organisational structure is coherent, but the restricted development limits a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, including terms like 'gradual growth', 'slight decline', 'commanded', and 'exponential rise'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'good's export changes', 'commanded the line's share' (instead of lion's share), and confusing export earnings values with percentage change figures. While the vocabulary demonstrates an attempt to use less common items, inaccuracies in word choice prevent the score from reaching Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The bar chart illustrates that how the percentages...' and 'Regarding other categories, textiles sector depicted...'. There are grammatical errors present, notably the redundant 'that' in the first sentence ('illustrates that how') and a missing article before 'textiles sector'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, though there is a missing space after a full stop in the third sentence. Control over grammar is adequate for communication, but the presence of structural inaccuracies keeps the band at 6.0.

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

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