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 value of one country's exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016, the price is shown in billions.

Overall, 2016 has given significant raise in money as compared to 2015, but in some categories 2015 has given some competetion in export earnings too. In addition, gems and jewelley has higher earning in 2015 as compared to 2016, agricultural products has given some competetion too but still not able to cross the gross earnings which was earned in 2016.

Firstly, petroleum products had noticeable difference between their earnings as the figure was above 60 billons in 2016 and below to that was in 2015, in engineering producuts it was same too as gross earning of 2016 was above from earning happened in 2015. Although, gems and jewellary was contrast, 2015 surpassed the 2016 with slightly higher margin.

Secondly, Agricultural products were seemingly equal in both years but 2016 was still slightly above to 2015, however, textiles, had significant change as 2016 was above with huge margin over 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and make relevant comparisons, including the higher 2016 figures for petroleum and engineered goods, the decline in gems and jewellery, and the near-equality of agricultural exports. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: “significant raise in money” overstates the overall change, while agricultural products were approximately equal, not clearly higher in 2016. The table’s percentage changes are not reported, even though they highlight textiles’ largest rise and the small movement in agriculture. Several figures are described only vaguely (“above 60” and “huge margin”), and the response does not clearly summarise the main pattern across all categories. A more precise overview and selected figures would make the key features clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs, with “Firstly” and “Secondly” signalling the sequence. The categories are generally grouped in a sensible order, so the reader can follow the comparisons. However, progression is weakened by unclear links between ideas. For example, the overview’s statement that agriculture “has given some competetion” does not explain the comparison, and “Although” introduces a contrast without a fully clear relationship to the preceding clause. Repeated use of “as compared to” and “above” also makes the connections mechanical. Use topic-focused paragraphs and clearer comparison links, such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile,” while ensuring each sentence develops one comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “export earnings,” “categories,” “surpassed,” and “slightly higher margin,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range and precision are limited, and several choices are unnatural or inaccurate for describing data. “Significant raise in money,” “given some competition,” and “gross earnings” do not express the intended trends clearly; “increase in export value,” “remained close to,” and “total earnings” would be more suitable. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “billons,” “jewelley,” “jewellary,” “competetion,” and “produ cuts.” Aim for accurate, conventional terms such as “rose,” “fell,” “remained stable,” and “export revenue,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a contrast with “Although” and a clause beginning “as the figure was…”. However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical control are frequent enough to make some comparisons difficult to interpret. For example, “Overall, 2016 has given significant raise” uses an unsuitable tense and an incomplete noun phrase, while “agricultural products has given” has subject–verb disagreement. The sentence beginning “Firstly” also contains an unclear construction: “below to that was in 2015.” Articles, plurals, and punctuation are inconsistent, as in “textiles, had significant change.” Practise concise comparison patterns, such as “Petroleum exports rose from about $61 billion to $63 billion,” and check agreement and sentence boundaries.

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