Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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 6.0)

The bar chart illustrates the value of one country's exports in different categories in 2015 and 2016. The table presents the difference in individual category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.

Overall, all the categories increased except gems and jewellery from 2015 to 2016. Petroleum products and engineering goods generated the highest export earning, whereas gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textiles generated the lowest over the period.

Petroleum products, Engineering goods and textile sector rose significantly with a change of 3%, 8.5% and 15.24% respectively from 2015 to 2016. From the difference we can conclude that textile and engineering had the highest growth in 2016. Engineering goods earning went from around $63 billion to $71 billion, where as textile earning rose to around $41 billion from approximately $33 billion over the period. However the earning of petroleum went from around $70 billion to approximately $71.5 billion from 2015 to 2016.

The remaining categories were gems and jewellery and agricultural products. Gems and jewellery decreased by 5.18%, while agricultural products increased by 0.81% between 2015 to 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart and table and give a clear overview that most categories rose while gems and jewellery fell. You also select relevant comparisons, including the strongest percentage increase in textiles and the decline in gems. However, several reported bar-chart values are substantially inaccurate: engineering goods are described as rising from about $63 billion to $71 billion, although the chart shows approximately $57 billion to $62 billion; petroleum is given as $70 billion to $71.5 billion rather than about $61 billion to $63 billion. The overview also calls agricultural products and textiles among the lowest earners without clarifying that textiles rose to roughly $31 billion, level with agriculture. More accurate figures and a fuller comparison of the categories would make the report more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. The overview helps the reader understand the main trend, and transitions such as “However” and “The remaining categories” signal changes in focus. The progression is generally clear, but the grouping of information is not always effective: the first detail paragraph combines three categories and then gives figures that are difficult to reconcile with the chart, while the final paragraph gives only percentage changes for the remaining categories. “From the difference” is also an unclear reference. Organise the details into more balanced comparisons—for example, the highest earners and the lower-value categories—and use explicit references to the chart or figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “export earnings,” “generated,” “increased,” “decreased,” and “growth.” These choices make the general meaning clear, and terms such as “approximately” help signal estimates. Some wording is imprecise or repetitive, however. “The difference in individual category” is an awkward description of the table, and “textile sector” and “textile earning” are less natural than category-specific phrasing such as “textile exports” or “earnings from textiles.” “From the difference we can conclude” is also vague. Aim for precise collocations and avoid repeating “earning” by varying the wording with “export value” or “revenue.” This would improve naturalness and precision while retaining your clear, relevant vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview’s contrast with “whereas” and the sentence beginning “while agricultural products increased.” Most sentences remain understandable, and errors do not generally prevent the reader from following your comparisons. Some grammatical inaccuracies persist, particularly in articles, prepositions, and sentence construction. For example, “in different categories” would be more natural as “across different categories,” and “between 2015 to 2016” should use either “between 2015 and 2016” or “from 2015 to 2016.” The phrase “where as” should be written as one word, “whereas,” and “Engineering goods earning went” needs a clearer grammatical subject, such as “Earnings from engineering goods rose.” Review these patterns and punctuation around figures.

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