Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-29

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 6.5)

The bar chart shows the export earnings, measured in billions of dollars, in five sectors in 2015 and 2016 of one country and the table shows the percentage change in values in each sector of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.

Overall, textiles sector exhibited significant increases in exports, whereas gems and jewellery category declined substantially. However, in terms of total earnings, petroleum products had the highest figures and textiles was at the bottom in both years.

Petroleum exports were worth about $60 billion in 2015 which rose slightly over $60 billion in 2016. Engineered goods also followed the same trend of growth by increasing from $57 billion to just over $60 billion. Gems and jewellery dropped moderately from $45 billion to approximately $40 billion by 2016. Agricultural products almost leveled off at about $30 billion, while textiles saw a remarkable surge exceeding $30 billion.

According to the table, textiles accounted for the highest growth, at 15.24%, followed by engineered goods and petroleum products at about 8.5% and 3% respectively, while agricultural products rose slightly by only 0.81%. In contrast, gems and jewellery dipped off by 5.18%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and highlighting key features from both the chart and the table. The main trends are accurately identified, such as petroleum products generating the highest earnings and textiles experiencing the greatest percentage growth. Data points are cited correctly, for instance noting that textiles grew by 15.24% and petroleum exports rose to around $63 billion. The selection of data is appropriate, and comparisons are successfully made between categories, meeting all requirements for a Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression and logical organization. The introduction effectively paraphrases the prompt, followed by a concise overview paragraph that outlines the main trends. Body paragraphs are logically structured, grouping the visual data in the first body paragraph and the table data in the second. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'however', and 'in contrast' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the comparisons, resulting in a cohesive and easy-to-follow text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, incorporating terms such as 'exhibited significant increases', 'declined substantially', and 'remarkable surge'. While most word choices are accurate, there are minor awkward phrasings like 'dipped off by 5.18%', where 'dipped by' or 'decreased by' would be more natural. Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey precise meanings and supports the development of the response effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative constructions. Grammatical control is generally strong; sentences like 'Petroleum exports were worth about $60 billion in 2015 which rose slightly over $60 billion in 2016' are clear, though punctuation around clauses could be refined. Errors are infrequent and do not impede communication, demonstrating a solid command of grammar and punctuation suitable for a Band 7.

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

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