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 that the earning amount of different kinds of export categories in billions between 2015 and 2016. While, the table shows that change of percentage of their values.

Overall, two major sectors in export increase slightly through out the year. and the sectors which are less affected have mixed result over the period. in terms of changing of values all sectors have a positive changes except gems and jewellery.

In 2015 petroleum products earn over 6 billion$ while it increase slightly in 2016. Another major sector engineered good had below the 6 billion$ during 2015. However in 2016 it reaches Almost 6.5 billion$. Textiles also go up during the period though it is the least impact in 2015 but in 2016 it reaches as same as agricultural products in same year. Only gems and jewellery decrease over the time it was around 700 million$ back than 2015 and ended up slightly down in 2016. Agricultural products remain almost same through out the years.

The highest percentage which is increased which is textile with 15.24%. Other increasing sectors like petroleum products, agricultural products, engineered good also climb up 8.5%,0.18% and 3$ respectively. By contrast, gems and jewellery drop 5.18% in the mean time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that most categories rose while gems and jewellery declined, and you note textiles as the fastest-growing category. These are relevant features, and the response covers both the chart and the percentage table. However, some figures are misreported: petroleum products rose by 3%, not “3$,” and agricultural products changed by 0.81%, not 0.18%. The description of the chart also substantially understates the values: petroleum earnings were about $61–63 billion, not “over 6 billion$,” and gems and jewellery fell from about $43 billion to $41 billion, not around $700 million. The overview is useful but vague, and the comparison of the leading categories could be clearer. More accurate reporting and fuller development of the key comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing the chart and percentage changes. This helps the reader follow the broad distinction between the two visuals. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “While, the table shows” does not form a complete contrast, while “Overall” is followed by fragmented sentences beginning “and the sectors” and “in terms of.” The final paragraph also lists percentage changes in an order that makes the comparison harder to track. Use complete topic sentences, group related categories consistently, and connect each figure explicitly to its category. Clearer punctuation and reference words would make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “export categories,” “percentage,” “increase,” and “decrease,” and you attempt phrases such as “remain almost same” and “drop.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to interpret. “Earning amount” is awkward for export values, “least impact” does not clearly describe the lowest starting figure, and “climb up” is informal for a data report. There are also spelling and form problems, including “engineered good” and “through out.” Choose precise reporting language and check category names and forms. For example, use “export earnings,” “recorded the lowest value,” and “increased” rather than less suitable expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex forms, including a contrast with “While” and clauses introduced by “though” and “However.” Nevertheless, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction, tense, agreement, articles, and punctuation sometimes make the account difficult to read. Examples include “While, the table shows,” the sentence fragment beginning “and the sectors,” and “it increase slightly,” where the verb form does not agree with the past-time description. “Only gems and jewellery decrease over the time” also shifts tense, while several sentences run together or begin with lowercase letters after full stops. Practise writing complete sentences with consistent past tense, and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries before finishing.

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