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 bar graph and table illustrates the information on different categories value of one country's exports from between 2015 to 2016 respectively, and the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Overall, the feature shows the record of export earnings by the year 2015 to 2016 respectively and different categories of products measured in billion dollars such as petroleum prodcuts, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textiles, whereas the earnings are measured in billion dollars.
The highest feature with the highest value was petroleum product which dominated other categories very easily. In 2015 it has the earning of approximately 65 billion dollars, slightly rose upto almost 70 billion dollars by the year 2016. Engineering goods relatively followed the same trend as petroleum products where the earning was almost 60 billion dollars and increased upto approximately 70 billion dollar. However, gems and jewellery stayed and average earning of 55 billion dollars and fell slightly upto
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main features of the visual data by mentioning export categories and values for 2015 and 2016, along with percentage changes. However, there are significant inaccuracies in reading the data; for instance, petroleum products started around 61 billion dollars rather than 65, and the student's figures for engineered goods and gems and jewellery deviate considerably from the actual chart values (engineered goods were 57 billion in 2015, not 60). Furthermore, the response is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence while discussing gems and jewellery. Because the task is unfinished and contains noticeable misreadings of the data, it meets the criteria for Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response begins with an introduction and an overall overview paragraph, which demonstrates an awareness of task structure. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, as seen in the frequent use of 'respectively' and redundant phrasing regarding 'billion dollars.' The progression is disrupted because the response ends abruptly in the middle of the third paragraph due to the unfinished text. Paragraphing is attempted, but the lack of a complete conclusion and the sudden halt limit the overall coherence, placing the response squarely at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic description, incorporating terms such as 'categories', 'export earnings', 'percentage change', and 'trend'. However, there are issues with word choice and spelling, such as 'prodcuts' and 'upto'. The student attempts less common vocabulary like 'dominated' and 'approximately', but the vocabulary range remains somewhat limited and repetitive. Lexical control is sufficient to convey basic meaning despite minor errors, aligning with Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using subordinate clauses with 'whereas' and relative phrases. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including 'The bar graph and table illustrates' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'from between 2015 to 2016 respectively'. While some sentences are clear, frequent minor inaccuracies in prepositions and verb tenses affect readability, leading to a band score of 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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