Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The two pieces of data below illustrate the value of one nation's exports in different categories between 2015 and 2016 and the proportion change in each category of experts in 2016 compared with 2015.

Overall, petroleum products accounted for the largest figure in both years, while textiles recorded the smallest share. The highest percentage change in values was textiles. Conversely, the lowest proportion change was petroleum products.

Regarding the chart, petroleum products registered the largest amount of money, around 70 and 75 million in 2015 and 2016, respectively. This was followed by engineered goods which accounted for slightly less amount of money at approximately 65 million in 2015 and just above 70 million in 2016. Gems and jewellery share was less compared to the other figures. In 2015, textiles was the smallest share just above 35 million.

The percentage change in 2015 and 2016 in textiles experienced a significant increase to 15.24%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important features, including petroleum products as the largest category and textiles as having the greatest percentage increase. However, the account is only partial and some key details are inaccurate: the chart shows petroleum at about $61–63 billion, not $70–75 million, and engineered goods at about $57–62 billion, not $65–70 million. The overview also incorrectly calls textiles the smallest category in both years; gems and jewellery and agricultural products are higher, while textiles and agricultural products are both about $31 billion in 2016. Most categories and their changes are not reported, and the final sentence gives only the textiles figure. Include a fuller, accurate comparison of the main trends and values.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the chart and percentage changes. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Regarding the chart” signal the sections. However, progression is limited because the chart paragraph mentions only a few categories and does not consistently compare the two years; the final paragraph then reports just one percentage change. Some links between ideas are also unclear, as in “Gems and jewellery share was less compared to the other figures,” which does not specify the comparison. Group the categories systematically and use clear comparisons to connect their values and changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “registered,” “approximately,” and “percentage change,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are, however, some inaccurate or awkward choices. “Experts” appears to be a mistaken word for “exports,” while “proportion change” is less precise than “percentage change.” “Largest amount of money” and “smallest share” are not the most natural ways to describe export values, and “slightly less amount of money” is awkward. Also, “million” conflicts with the chart’s unit of billions. Aim for precise terms such as “export earnings,” “value,” and “rose/fell by,” and check that word choice matches the units and data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more developed sentence forms, including the overview’s contrast with “while” and the comparison introduced by “This was followed by.” Most sentences remain understandable, and errors do not generally prevent the reader from following your meaning. Some grammatical control is uneven, however. In “Gems and jewellery share was less,” the noun phrase needs a clearer structure, while “In 2015, textiles was the smallest share” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The sentence about the percentage change also has an unclear construction: “The percentage change … in textiles experienced a significant increase.” Make the category the subject (“Textile export earnings increased…”) or state the change directly, and check agreement and article use.

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.