Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-09

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 bar chart illustrates the information about the value of oe country's export in different categories in year 2015 and 2016.

Looking from an overall perspective, almost export in all categories increased slightly except gems and jewellary.

In year 2015, export of petroleum products cost around 65 billion dollars and figure rise slightly to almost 67 billion dollars in year 2016.Engineered goods export costs around 60 billion dollars in 2015 and number dramatically increased to almost 66 billion dollars by year 2016. Although, gems and jewellary export cost around 55 billion dollars in 2015 after that it fall back to 52 billion dollars in 2016, and is the only category declined. While, agriculture products shows a tiny change from 42 billion dollars in 2015 to almost 43 billion dollars in year 2016. In contrast, textile category stood at 38 billion dollars in 2015 before increasing steadily to 40 billion dollars by 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main pattern—that most categories rose while gems and jewellery fell—and include comparisons across all five categories. However, several figures are substantially inaccurate: for example, gems and jewellery are reported at about $55 billion and $52 billion, whereas the chart shows approximately $43 billion and $41 billion. Agricultural products and textiles are also overstated, and the overview does not highlight that petroleum products were the highest-valued category in both years or that textiles had the largest percentage increase. These inaccuracies and the limited selection of key features make the report only partially effective. To strengthen it, check each figure against the chart and give a concise overview of the highest and lowest values and the most notable changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the categories. The overview also gives the reader a useful guide to the general trend. Within the detail paragraph, however, the sequence is not consistently easy to follow: petroleum and engineered goods are followed by gems, agriculture, and textiles, but several transitions are awkward or mechanically attached, such as “Although” and “While” beginning incomplete or loosely connected clauses. The repeated “in 2015” and “in 2016” phrasing also makes the progression feel list-like. Grouping the categories by trend or value, and using clearer links such as “By contrast” and “Meanwhile,” would make the comparisons more cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “categories,” “increased,” “declined,” and “stood at,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some variety in describing change, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: exports do not usually “cost” a value, and “the figure rise” is not an appropriate form. Spelling errors such as “oe,” “jewellary,” and “textile” also reduce precision. The repeated use of “almost” and “around” limits the range of reporting language. Aim for accurate chart vocabulary such as “export earnings,” “amounted to,” “rose to,” and “fell to,” while checking spelling and using “approximately” or “roughly” selectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons with “before” and “Although,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, some sentence structures are faulty or incomplete. For instance, “Although, gems and jewellary export cost…” leaves the concessive clause without a clear main-clause structure, while “While, agriculture products shows…” has an unnecessary comma and subject–verb disagreement. Verb forms and tense control are also inconsistent in “figure rise” and “it fall back.” Punctuation is sometimes missing, notably after the sentence ending “2016.” Practise forming complete clauses with accurate past-tense verbs and agreement, and use linking words only where the sentence structure supports them.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.