Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-17

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 5.0)

The bar chart compares the export earnings in five distinct categories in 2015 and 2016, while the table illustrates the change in values in these categories over this period.

Overall, it is evident from the table that textiles show the highest change in the values. On the other hand, in terms of export earnings, petroleum products stood at top.

In both 2015 and 2016 , petroleum products had more earning among other categories, at around 60 billions dollar with slight decrease of 3%. Followed by, engineered goods have reached at approximately 68 billions dollars from the 62 billions dollar. It reduced by 3% in following years. Gems and jewellery showed drop in values, from approximately 55 billions dollar to 50 million dollars and value got reduced by 5.18%

Agricultural remained at same position in both 2015 and 2016, at around 40 billions dollar. The least change was observed in this category. The values had reduced by 0.81%. Among five categories, textiles shows significant improvement. 15.24% change has been observed in textile and it climbed at about 42$ billions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The student attempts to address both parts of the task by summarizing the bar chart and the table. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies when compared to the visual data. For instance, the student states that petroleum products had a 'slight decrease of 3%', whereas the chart and table clearly indicate a 3% increase. Similarly, engineered goods are stated to have 'reduced by 3%' when they actually grew by 8.5%, and gems and jewellery values are misquoted entirely. While an overview is attempted, the pervasive errors in data interpretation pull this criterion down.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, and body paragraphs discussing specific categories. However, the logical progression is hindered by confusing transitions and contradictory statements. For instance, using 'On the other hand' in the overview does not fit the contrast intended. Cohesive devices are sometimes used awkwardly, such as 'Followed by, engineered goods have reached...', which disrupts the flow of information. Paragraphing is present, but overall structural control needs considerable improvement.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with several awkward collocations and word choices. Examples include 'more earning among other categories', 'billions dollar' (repeated multiple times), and 'gems and jewellery showed drop in values'. There is an attempt to use some task-related terms like 'export earnings' and 'distinct categories', but inaccurate word forms and units (e.g., mixing billions and millions for the same data point) limit the range and precision of the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is weak throughout. There are frequent errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'textiles shows significant improvement' and 'Agricultural remained at same position'. Articles are frequently missing (e.g., 'at same position', 'in following years'). These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and demonstrate poor control over complex forms.

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

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