Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-12

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 6.5)

The bar chart compares the income from exporting goods from various categories in 2015 to that in 2016. On the other hand, the table compares the percentage change from 2015 to 2016 of the same 5 product categories.

Overall, textiles had shown the greatest percentage change in their export earnings, increasing by 15.24%. Coversely, the agricultural products displayed marginal change by increasing only 0.81%. Moreover, despite all other categories showing a rise in their export income, gems and jewellery was the only one which decreased by 5.18%.

In 2015, Petroleum products had the highest contribution to export income with a figure of around 70 billion dollars which rose by 3% in 2016 to still be the greatest contributor. In contrast, textiles accounted for the lowest contribution in 2015 (approximately 35 billion dollars) but managed to get neck-to-neck with the roughly constant agricultural product contribution (over 40 billion dollars) in 2016.

Gems and Jewellery were sitting well above 50 billion dollars in 2015 but in the following year, it barely exceeded 50 billion dollars. By contrast, the engineering goods (second highest contributor) climbed from being in 60-70 billion dollars range to reaching above 70 billion dollars in 2016.

In summary, the change in export income of the goods from 2015 to 2016 varied for each category.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that textiles had the largest percentage increase and gems and jewellery was the only category to fall, and you provide an overview. However, several key figures and comparisons are misread, which makes the report only partly accurate. Petroleum earnings were about $61 billion in 2015 and $63 billion in 2016, not around $70 billion; textiles were about $26 billion, not $35 billion; and agricultural products were about $31 billion, not over $40 billion. Gems fell from roughly $43 billion to $41 billion, rather than remaining above $50 billion, while engineered goods rose from about $57 billion to $62 billion, not above $70 billion. Report the chart values more carefully and distinguish percentage change from export value to make the comparisons clearer and more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the figures. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “By contrast” help signal comparisons, and the main trends are easy to locate. This coherent organisation is a strength. However, the final “In summary” sentence repeats the general idea that values varied without adding a useful comparison, and some transitions connect inaccurate figures rather than building a precise account. The movement between categories in the detail paragraphs could also be more systematic—for example, compare the highest and lowest earners first, then describe the remaining categories. More purposeful paragraph progression and less repetition would make cohesion more flexible and effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a reasonably varied range of task-related vocabulary, including “export earnings,” “percentage change,” “contribution,” “marginal change,” and “decreased.” These choices generally communicate the intended comparisons, and phrases such as “greatest percentage change” are appropriate for describing the table. Some word choices and collocations are less natural or imprecise, however: “get neck-to-neck” is informal, “sitting well above” is conversational, and “contribution” can suggest a share rather than the value shown. “Coversely” is also misspelled, and “engineering goods” does not match the chart’s label “engineered goods.” Use more conventional chart-reporting language and check spelling and category names to improve precision and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “despite” and “which,” and most sentences remain understandable. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, but they rarely prevent the reader from following your meaning. For example, “textiles had shown” uses an unnecessary past perfect; “textiles accounted for the lowest contribution … but managed to get” shifts awkwardly between past forms; and “Gems and Jewellery were sitting” has an unsuitable progressive construction for reporting static data. The singular category “agricultural product contribution” also sits awkwardly in the sentence. Prefer consistent past simple forms for the chart period, such as “textiles recorded” and “gems and jewellery fell,” and check agreement and sentence construction when comparing categories.

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