Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 garph provides insight into the value of exports in various categories of a nation from 2015 to 2016. Additionally, the table compares the amount of exports in each category in order to give the percentage change between 2015 and 2016.

Overall, a higher amount of income was observed in each category in 2016 than that of in 2015, with the exception for gems and jewellery category. Petroleum products and textiles earned the highest and lowest earnings respectively for the two years. Furthermore, there was a minor increase of earnings for agriculture products and a significant increase for textiles in 2016.

In 2015, petroleum products brought around 61 billion dollars in the economy of a nation, while it stood at 64 billion dollars in 2016 with an overall growth of 3%. Similar trend was observed for engineered goods, with an overall increase of 8.5% for the two years. However, only gems and jewellery category followed an opposite trend. It brought around 55 billion dollars in the economy in 2015, while it stood just above two-quarters in 2016, with an overall decrease of 5.18%.

There was an insignificant increase of just 0.81% in the earnings of agricultural goods for both the years. However, a significant increase of 15.24% was observed for textiles, which is the highest change among all the categories.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and include a useful overview, noting that gems and jewellery declined and textiles had the largest percentage change. However, the overview contains a major factual error: petroleum products were not the highest in both years, since engineered goods were also high, and textiles were not the lowest in 2016; agricultural products were approximately equal to textiles at about $31 billion. More seriously, gems and jewellery earned about $43 billion in 2015 and $41 billion in 2016, not “55 billion” and “just above two-quarters.” The description of engineered goods also omits their approximate values. These inaccuracies and omissions mean the key features are only partly reported. Check each figure against the chart and distinguish absolute export values from percentage changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the figures. The progression from the general trends to individual categories is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships. This coherent arrangement is a strength. Some connections are less precise, though: “Similar trend was observed” does not give the reader the engineered-goods values, while “There was an insignificant increase … for both the years” is unclear about what changed. The repeated use of “However” also makes some transitions feel mechanical. To strengthen progression, group categories by trend and use references that clearly identify the figures being compared.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “percentage change,” “overall growth,” “significant increase,” and “opposite trend.” These choices help communicate comparisons and changes. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “a higher amount of income was observed,” “brought … in the economy,” and “two-quarters.” “Agriculture products” is also less suitable than the chart’s category, “agricultural products.” There is a spelling error in “garph,” and “earnings” is repeated frequently. Aim for precise chart language, for example “export value,” “rose to,” and “fell to,” and vary reporting verbs while keeping the meaning exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while” and “with,” and most sentences remain understandable. There are some grammatical errors, but they rarely prevent the reader from following the main point. For example, “a higher amount … than that of in 2015” has an awkward comparison structure, and “Similar trend was observed” needs an article. In “There was an insignificant increase … for both the years,” the preposition and phrasing do not form a clear grammatical relationship. Review articles, comparison patterns, and prepositions, and make sure each sentence clearly states what increased or decreased. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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