Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

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 5.5)

The given chart depicts the values of exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The supporting table gives a numeric analysis of percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared to 2015.

It is observed that textile market has provided highest positive growth of 15.24% in exports which enabled them to cross over $40 billions in earnings. It was followed by Engineering goods rising up to 8.5% more from previous year which allowed them to touch the $60 billion ceiling. The Petroleum products and Agricultural products showed slight increase in export earnings reported to be 3% and 0.81% respectively. On the other hand, Gems and jewelry shows a negative change of 5.18% which tanked their earnings under $50 billion.

A sustainable trend is observed from 2015 to 2016 which is, rise in overall exports in each category and a stable earning growth by each sector. The revenue indicates earnings in billions of dollar directing towards greater future potential.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response sits at this band because it addresses the task only partially and falls short of the minimum length requirement, containing 142 words where 150 are required (with 19 words copied from the prompt left uncounted). While the student attempts to summarise the main features and present comparisons, some of the data reported is inaccurate when checked against the chart. For instance, the text claims that textiles 'crossed over $40 billions in earnings,' whereas the chart shows them rising from 26 to 31 billion dollars. Similarly, Gems and jewellery earnings are stated to have dropped 'under $50 billion,' when they actually fell from 43 to 41 billion dollars, meaning they were never near 50 billion. Furthermore, the final paragraph misinterprets the data by stating there was a general 'rise in overall exports in each category,' overlooking the decrease in Gems and jewellery. To reach a higher level, the writer must meet the word count requirement and ensure that all figures and trends are accurately read and reported from the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response shows some organization with a clear introductory sentence and paragraph divisions, but it lacks a clear overall progression. Cohesive devices are at times mechanical or used inaccurately, such as starting the final paragraph with 'A sustainable trend is observed,' which does not logically follow the preceding category-by-category breakdown and introduces unsupported generalisations. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous pronoun use in 'which enabled them to cross over' (referring to the market). Paragraphing is present, but the logical flow between sentences and paragraphs needs improvement to guide the reader smoothly through the comparison of data. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to use cohesive devices more naturally, ensure clear referencing throughout, and structure the overview and body paragraphs with a logical, cohesive progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic information about the chart. The student attempts some less common vocabulary and lexical chunks, such as 'positive growth,' 'ceiling,' and 'negative change,' but these are occasionally imprecise or combined with noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'textile market has provided highest positive growth' and earnings that 'tanked their earnings under $50 billion,' which sounds overly informal and colloquial for an Academic Task 1 response. There are also minor inaccuracies in noun forms and prepositions within lexical phrases. To improve to a higher band, the writer should develop a wider and more precise range of vocabulary, avoid informal or slang expressions like 'tanked,' and use task-appropriate lexical items to describe data trends and fluctuations accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple and moderately complex sentences. Attempts at complex structures frequently contain errors, such as missing articles ('textile market has provided highest positive growth') and awkward relative clauses or participial phrases ('earnings reported to be 3% and 0.81% respectively'). There are also occasional agreement and tense inconsistencies, such as 'Gems and jewelry shows' shifting away from the past tense narrative used elsewhere. Frequent grammatical errors and clumsy phrasing can cause some difficulty for the reader. To move up to the next band, the writer must incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence forms with greater accuracy, pay closer attention to articles, subject-verb agreement, and tense consistency, and ensure that grammatical patterns supporting data description are formed correctly.

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

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