Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-20
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 given bar graph 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.
Initially,the graph starts showing the Petroleum goods had earn more than 6 billion dollar in 2015 and in 2016 it reached a bit higher than last year and the change in value was around 3% then it shows Engineered goods which had earned around 6 million dollars in 2015 while it grew a lot higher in 2016 exceeding the original 6 million dollars in 2015 and the change in percentage value was around 8.5% higher than last year than comes the Gems and Jewellery which earned more than 50 billion dollars in 2015. However, the percentage went down in 2016 and the average percentage change was 5.18% lower than last year than comes the Agricultural products which had earned more than 40 million in 2015 and it grew a bit higher in the coming year and percentage change in values for agricultural products was 0.81% higher and at last comes the textiles which earned more than 30 billion dollars in 2015 and it grew a lot higher in the coming year and the change in percentage value was 15.24% higher.
In conclusion, the highest percentage earned in 2015 was done by Petroleum products and the lowest by Textiles product while in 2016 the highest percentage was earned by Petroleum and Engine goods while lowest by Agricultural and Textile products.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address both parts of the prompt by describing the export earnings in 2015 and 2016 alongside the percentage changes. However, there are significant inaccuracies in reading the data from the visual stimuli. For instance, the student states that Petroleum goods earned 'more than 6 billion dollar in 2015', whereas the chart clearly shows 61 billion dollars, confusing billions with millions elsewhere as well ('around 6 million dollars' for Engineered goods which actually stood at 57 billion). Furthermore, the overview provided in the conclusion is weak and inaccurate, incorrectly summarising the highest and lowest earnings and mixing up percentages with raw values. This places the response in Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is structured into three paragraphs: an introduction, a very long and dense body paragraph containing a run-on chain of data, and a conclusion. Progression is severely hindered by the lack of proper sentence boundaries and paragraphing; the entire body of the report is written as a single, massive run-on sentence connected by coordinating conjunctions like 'then comes' and 'and'. Cohesive devices are repetitive and mechanical. Although there is some logical sequencing in following the categories from left to right, the overall lack of punctuation and clear discourse markers results in a confusing read that matches Band 5 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a basic, limited lexical range suitable for describing simple statistical data, using terms such as 'export', 'category', 'percentage change', and 'grew a lot higher'. However, there are fundamental lexical and numerical scale errors, such as confusing 'billion' and 'million' ('6 million dollars' instead of billions). Word choice is repetitive, relying heavily on simple verbs like 'earned', 'went down', and 'grew'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical inadequacy and misuse of numerical units constrain the score to Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
Grammatically, the response is weak. The student relies on an extremely limited range of structures, almost entirely consisting of a lengthy run-on sentence joined by coordinating conjunctions with virtually no full stops or commas separating clauses in the body paragraph. There are frequent punctuation errors, missing capital letters at the start of sentences ('Initially,the graph'), and awkward phrasing. Complex sentence forms are absent, and basic errors cause strain for the reader. This performance aligns with Band 4.5, rounded to Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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