Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-18
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 5.0)
The bar chart illustrates the revenue generated by a country, measured in billion dollars, by exporting each product between 2015 and 2016 while the table compares the change in percentage of each category in 2015 and 2016.
Overall, petroleum products generated the highest value followed by the engineering goods whereas textiles are accounted for the lowest earnings in both years. A significant percentage increase is observed in engineered products however gems and jewellery experienced the highest decline in percentage value in the latter year.
The highest export earnings were made by petroleum products with 70 billion dollars in 2015 and their revenue increased 3% in year 2016 and generated the revenue of about 63 billion dollars. Engineering goods made the reven
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response identifies some relevant features, including petroleum products as the leading category and textiles as the lowest, and notes that gems and jewellery declined. However, the overview is not fully accurate: textiles were the lowest in 2015, but agricultural products and textiles were equal at about $31 billion in 2016. The claim that gems had the largest percentage decline also conflicts with the table, which shows textiles had the largest percentage change, an increase of 15.24%. The body is incomplete and gives petroleum earnings as $70 billion in 2015, rather than approximately $61 billion. It also ends mid-sentence. At 121 words, the response is below the required 150, and several categories and comparisons are not adequately reported.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is a basic, recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. The overview also uses a contrastive link with “however.” However, progression is limited because the body begins to describe petroleum products and then stops at “Engineering goods made the reven,” leaving the comparison unfinished. The two overview sentences contain several ideas but do not lead into a complete account of the data. To improve organisation, group the categories by their trends or earnings, then report the main figures in a clear sequence. Complete each paragraph’s purpose and use linking phrases to show comparisons between 2015 and 2016.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The response uses some task-appropriate vocabulary, such as “revenue,” “export earnings,” “percentage increase,” and “decline,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several expressions are imprecise or repetitive: “generated the revenue” is repeated, while “change in percentage” is less natural than “percentage change.” “Engineering goods” also differs from the chart’s category label, “engineered goods.” The phrase “textiles are accounted for the lowest earnings” is awkward and makes the comparison less clear. Aim for accurate collocations and consistent category names, for example, “textiles recorded the lowest earnings” and “export values rose by 3%.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response attempts a range of sentence forms, including a complex overview sentence with “whereas” and a sentence linking a category to its percentage change. Some structures are understandable, but errors and awkward constructions recur. For example, “textiles are accounted for the lowest earnings” has an incorrect verb pattern, and “the table compares the change in percentage of each category in 2015 and 2016” does not clearly express the comparison. The final sentence is incomplete, which also prevents the reader from following the intended point. Practise accurate passive and active forms, and check that each sentence has a complete clause and clearly expresses the time comparison.
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