Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07
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 bar chart illustrates the value of one country’s exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016 and the table represents the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Overall, export earnings in the petroleum products accounted for highest proportion, while earnings in the textile goods recorded for smallest percentage. Meanwhile, textiles values rose to highest proportion by the year 2016, whereas gems and jewellery generally declined.
Looking at the bar chart, export earnings in the petroleum products accounted for highest proportion in both the years which is around $65 billions and $68 billions respectively. Following this, engineered goods stood at $60 billions in 2015 gradually rises to $66 billions by the year 2016. Whereas gems and jewellery stood around $50 billions and then declined to $47 billions respectively. Meanwhile, agricultural products maintained $40 billions as constant earnings throughout the period. Finally, textiles stood at $35 billions in 2015 generally increased to $40 billions by the year 2016.
Turning to percentage change in each category values in 2015 and 2016, Textiles, engineered goods, petroleum products and agricultural products increased by 15.24%, 8.5%, 3% and 0.81% respectively. Meanwhile, gems and jewellery decreased by 5.18%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the two years, cover all five export categories, and report the percentage changes, including the decline in gems and jewellery. However, several chart figures are substantially misread: for example, petroleum is about $61–63 billion, not $65–68 billion, and agriculture is about $31 billion, not $40 billion. The overview also says textiles had the smallest percentage, although textiles had the largest increase; petroleum was the highest-earning category. Your comparison that textiles rose and gems declined is relevant, but the overview and supporting figures do not consistently capture the main features accurately. Check each bar against the scale and distinguish export values from percentage changes.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph describing the chart, and a final paragraph on percentage changes. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and transitions such as “Looking at the bar chart” and “Turning to percentage change” signal the shift in focus. However, the progression is weakened by unclear or contradictory statements in the overview, particularly the claim about textiles having the smallest percentage followed by their rise to the highest proportion. “Whereas” also begins a fragment-like sentence after the engineered-goods comparison. Grouping the main increases together and clearly separating value rankings from percentage changes would make the organisation more coherent and the links between ideas less mechanical.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use a suitable range of task vocabulary, including “export earnings,” “percentage change,” “declined,” and “maintained,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons you intend to make. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise, however. “Highest proportion” is not the clearest way to describe the largest export value, and “recorded for smallest percentage” is awkward. “Textile goods” also differs from the chart’s category label, “textiles.” These choices sometimes blur whether you mean the value of exports or the rate of change. Aim for precise terms such as “highest export value,” “smallest increase,” and “remained stable”; this will strengthen accuracy while retaining your useful range of vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, and most of the intended comparisons remain understandable. Some grammatical errors recur, particularly with articles, agreement, and verb forms. For example, “in the petroleum products” needs a different article pattern, while “engineered goods … gradually rises” shifts incorrectly from past reporting to the present tense. “Whereas gems and jewellery stood around $50 billions and then declined …” is not a complete, well-connected sentence, and “maintained $40 billions as constant earnings” has an awkward grammatical construction. Practise forming complete comparison sentences and keep past-tense verbs consistent when describing 2015 and 2016. More accurate control of these patterns would make your complex sentences clearer.
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