Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-05
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 displays the export earnings of a country in several categories between 2015 and 2016. The table compares the percentage difference of each category in 2016 and 2015.
Overall, the export earnings of all categories increased in 2016 except gems and jewellery. The export earnings of petroleum products was the highest in both years and textile accounts for the highest percentage increase in value.
In 2015, the export earnings of petroleum products was just above $60 billion. It increased by 3% in 2016 and reached almost $63 billion in value. Engineering goods was the second most valued category in both 2015 and 2016. It was earning almost $55 billion in 2015 but rose to almost $61 billion in 2016 experiencing a sharp percentage increase of 8.5%.
Gems and jewellery was valued at approximately 51% in 2015 before it experienced a 5.18% decline in it's value. The export earnings of agricultural products remained almost same in both 2015 and 2016. It accounts for just 0.81% percentage increase. The textile industry was valued at almost $35 billion in 2015 before it underwent a massive percentage increase of 15.24%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response covers all parts of the task by addressing both the bar chart and the table, and presents a clear overall trend. The main features are identified, such as petroleum products generating the highest earnings and textiles seeing the largest percentage increase. However, some ideas are under-developed or contain inaccuracies regarding the data. For instance, gems and jewellery is stated as being valued at 'approximately 51%' in 2015, which misinterprets the graph where earnings were around $43 billion. Similarly, the textile industry value in 2015 is misreported as $35 billion instead of approximately $26 billion. These data inaccuracies prevent the response from reaching a higher band, though the overall coverage of trends and comparisons is sufficient for the current level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The report has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific categories. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group information logically. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. The transition between sentences and paragraphs occasionally lacks smooth progression, and referencing is not always completely clear. For example, the pronoun use in 'It accounts for just 0.81% percentage increase' slightly strains the logical link. To move to a higher band, cohesive devices should be managed more flexibly and naturally, ensuring seamless transitions between the presented data points and overarching trends.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common vocabulary related to data reporting, such as 'export earnings', 'percentage difference', and 'sharp percentage increase'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. For instance, writing 'percentage difference of each category in 2016 and 2015' is slightly imprecise compared to percentage change, and the possessive error 'in it's value' occurs. Additionally, some data values are misread or misstated. The vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main points, but occasional lexical errors and imprecise terminology keep the score at the present level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as introductory clauses and subordinate timelines ('before it experienced a 5.18% decline'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('textile accounts' instead of textiles account) and minor prepositional or article slips. Nevertheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the intended message easily. To achieve a higher band, the writer would need to incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex structures with consistent control over tense consistency and agreement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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