Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-15

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 bar chart illustrates the information about the one country,s exports in several products in 2015 and in 2016 and the table below compares the ratio change of each product in 2015 and 2016 exports.

According to bar chart, the petroleum products are standing at highest in exports and textiles products export are standing at lowest and only gems and jewellery products export ratio shows down fall.

The value of petroleum products in export in both years standing above from 70 billion$ and enginering goods value nearly equal to 60 billion$ and all other catagories like gems and jewellery, agriculture products and textiles value below 60 billion$ in both years while textiles value in 2015 below 40 billion$.

The table shows the textiles category values ratio increased 15.24% and enginering products increased 8.5% in both years. Petroleum products value,s percentage slightly increased only 3% and only gems and jewellery value,s ratio decreased 5.18%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant features, including petroleum as the leading export category and the decline in gems and jewellery, and you report some percentage changes accurately. However, key figures and trends are misread: petroleum was about $61–63 billion, not above $70 billion, and textiles were the lowest category only in 2015; in 2016 they were roughly level with agricultural products. You also say all other categories were below $60 billion, although engineered goods reached about $62 billion in 2016. The overview is therefore only partly reliable, and the main comparisons are not fully developed. Include a concise overview of the overall pattern, then support it with accurate values and changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, a general statement about the chart, and paragraphs describing values and percentage changes. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “According to” and “The table shows” signal shifts between points. However, progression is limited because the overview and details are not clearly separated, and several ideas are crowded into long sentences joined mainly by “and.” The final paragraph repeats the increase/decrease information without connecting it to the chart’s actual values. Use distinct paragraphs for the overview and selected comparisons, and organise details by notable increases, decreases, or relative size. More precise linking and referencing would make the relationships between figures easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “exports,” “category,” “increased,” and “decreased,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “ratio change” for percentage change, “standing at highest,” and “value,s percentage.” Spelling errors such as “enginering” and “catagories” also reduce precision. Repetition of “value” and “products” makes the description less flexible, while “down fall” is not a natural form in this context. Build a more accurate set of chart-description phrases, for example “export earnings,” “accounted for,” “rose by,” and “fell to,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences, but control is inconsistent, and many sentences contain errors in basic patterns. For example, “the petroleum products are standing at highest” has an unsuitable verb form and missing article, while “the value … in both years standing above” lacks a finite verb. The sentence beginning “The value of petroleum products” also combines several comparisons with unclear clause structure. There are problems with articles, plurals, agreement, and punctuation, including the comma-like apostrophes in “country,s” and “value,s.” Most sentences rely on simple present forms, with little accurate variety. Practise complete subject–verb structures and use past-tense verbs for the 2015–2016 data, then proofread each sentence for articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries.

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