Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 cost of diverse group of products in billions which are sent abroad during 2015 and 2016, whereas the table displays information about the proportional change in each group of product exported in 2016 as compare to 2015.

Overall, in the bar chart, it is evident that the total profit generated from all the exported goods has significantly increased from 2015 to 2016. However, the table shows variation in the percentage revenue in 2016 in comparison to 2015.

The petrolem and the engineered products showed a considerable rise from 70 billion dollare and 65 billion dollars respectively in 2015 to 72 billion dollars and 70 billion dollars in 2016 with an increase of 3% and 8.5% value respectively in 2016. In contrast, gems and jewellery export earning fell slightly from 2015 with a decrease of 5.18% in percentage value 2016. Whereas, agricultural products and textile goods export also surged substantially from 2015 to 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart and table and include several relevant comparisons, including the rise in petroleum and engineered goods and the fall in gems and jewellery. However, key figures are substantially misreported: petroleum and engineered goods were about $61bn and $57bn in 2015, rising to $63bn and $62bn, not $70bn/$65bn and $72bn/$70bn. The overview also claims total earnings increased significantly, although the chart shows only a modest overall rise. Agricultural exports were roughly unchanged, while textiles rose; these trends are not clearly quantified, and the table’s percentages are not consistently interpreted. A more accurate overview and fuller reporting of the main contrasts would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph comparing categories. Linking expressions such as “Overall” and “In contrast” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, the progression is weakened by grouping several trends into broad statements rather than presenting the data in a clear sequence. The final sentence combines agriculture and textiles even though their changes differ, and the reference “Whereas” leaves the contrast incomplete. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, the highest-earning categories first, followed by the lower categories—and use linking words only where the relationship between ideas is explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “exported,” “proportional change,” “considerable rise,” and “fell slightly.” Some choices, however, are inaccurate or unnatural for describing this visual. “Cost” and “profit” do not describe export earnings, and “diverse group of products” is less precise than “product categories.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “petrolem” and “dollare,” while “percentage value” is unclear in context. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the general topic, but they reduce precision. Prefer standard chart language such as “export earnings,” “value,” and “percentage change,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including a complex introductory sentence with “whereas” and comparisons using “from … to ….” The meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “a diverse group of products” needs an article, and “as compare to 2015” should use the correct participle form. In “the table shows variation,” the article or plural form is needed, and the final “Whereas” clause is not a complete sentence. The long sentence beginning “The petrolem…” also makes the comparisons difficult to follow. Practise accurate comparative structures and ensure each sentence has a complete main clause.

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