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 a country's exports in different categories in 2015 and 2016. However the table presents the change in each category over the period.

Overall, petroleum products and engineering goods increased significantly from 2015 to 2016 followed by textile. However petroleum products and engineering goods were the highest in all, whereas gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textiles remain the lowest.

Petroleum products and engineering products have the highest export over the period, both category increased by 3% and 8.5% respectively. On the other side agricultural products rose with a quite small change of 0.81%, whereas textile difference was 15.24% which was the highest in all the categories. Germs and jewerlly exports decreased by 5.18% and it was the only category that declined over the period.

The highest revenue was generated by petroleum products and engineering goods in both years around $65 billion and $64 billion in 2015, whereas in 2016 it was around $67 billion and $61 billion respectively. The lowest were the agricultural products and textiles both generate more than $30 billion in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart and table, provide an overview, and report several key percentage changes, including the rise in textiles and the decline in gems and jewellery. However, some important comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. The overview says petroleum and engineering goods increased “significantly,” although their rises were modest, and it describes textiles among the lowest while also noting its strong growth. More seriously, the final paragraph gives figures that do not match the chart: petroleum and engineering exports were about $61bn and $57bn in 2015 and $63bn and $62bn in 2016, not the amounts stated. The claim that agricultural products and textiles were both above $30bn in both years is also inaccurate. Select the main trends and check each figure against the visual.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. This helps the reader follow the general subject, and contrasts such as “However” and “On the other side” signal changes in direction. Nevertheless, progression is uneven: the overview groups textiles with the lowest categories, while the final paragraph returns to rankings and gives conflicting descriptions of the figures. Some linking phrases are mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely, and the final paragraph combines rankings with inaccurate year-by-year data. Organise the details into clear comparisons—for example, the highest-value categories first, then the lower-value categories—and use transitions that accurately show contrast or addition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “exports,” “increased,” “declined,” “revenue,” and “percentage,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range and control are limited by repeated or imprecise expressions, including “highest in all,” “rose with a quite small change,” and “textile difference.” Some category names are also inconsistent or misspelled: “engineering products” differs from “engineered goods,” while “Germs and jewerlly” obscures “gems and jewellery.” These errors reduce precision in a data-reporting task. Aim for accurate category labels and natural collocations such as “recorded a slight increase” or “export earnings,” and avoid repeating “highest” when a more exact comparison is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrastive overview and clauses linked with “whereas.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction occur often enough to make the writing less controlled. For example, “both category increased” needs plural agreement, and “The lowest were the agricultural products and textiles both generate” combines an incomplete construction with an inconsistent verb form. In “petroleum products and engineering products have the highest export,” the plural subject also requires a plural noun and a consistent past-tense description of the chart. Practise building complete comparison sentences and checking subject–verb agreement and tense before adding linking clauses.

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