Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-05

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 chat graph illustrates the export earning of a country in different categories between 2015 and 2016. While the percentage in change export of individual category in 2016 compared to 2015.

Overall, It is clear that the petroleum products had the highest earnings from 2015 to 2016. While, the textiles had the lowest earning. the value of petroleum products and engineered good are increase the most compared to other categories in the timeframe.

In 2015 petroleum products prices had significantly increase a little bit above $70 billions, It increase 3% in 2016. Similarly, the second highest is engineered goods which has 8.5% highest increase compare to all other categories in 2016. Engineered goods had low earning in 2015 it was near to $70 billions.

the percentage changes in value for other categories had low earning compare to petroleum and engineered goods. the gems and jewellery had high earning in 2015 but it is decrease by 5.18% in 2016. On the other hand agricultural products had earning above $40 billions and they had a lowest increased 0.81% change in values and the textile had the most lowest earning in 2015 compare to all categories but it had a signifcant value change 15.24%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and include several percentage changes, and your overview correctly notes petroleum as the highest-earning category and textiles as the lowest in 2015. However, important figures and comparisons are misread: petroleum was about $61–63 billion, not above $70 billion; engineered goods were about $57–62 billion, not near $70 billion; and agricultural products were around $31 billion, not above $40 billion. The overview also says petroleum and engineered goods increased the most, although textiles had the largest percentage rise (15.24%). These inaccuracies make the account only partly reliable, and some features are unclear or underdeveloped. Report the approximate values accurately and distinguish absolute earnings from percentage change.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing the categories. You also use basic linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Similarly” and “On the other hand.” However, progression within the body is not always clear: the discussion moves between earnings and percentage changes, and the paragraph beginning “the percentage changes in value for other categories” does not clearly organise the comparisons. Some links are awkward or repetitive, particularly repeated uses of “had” and “compare to.” The opening sentence fragment beginning “While the percentage…” also interrupts the flow. Group the categories by trend—for example, increases, the decline, and the largest percentage change—and use clear references to connect each comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “export,” “categories,” “earnings,” “percentage change” and “increase,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “export earning,” “petroleum products prices,” “had low earning” and “the most lowest earning.” “Significantly increase a little bit” is also imprecise and internally contradictory. There are noticeable spelling and form errors, including “chat” for “chart,” “engin[e]ered good,” and “signifcant.” Use precise terms consistently: describe the chart’s values as export earnings, refer to the percentage change as a rise or fall, and avoid informal phrases such as “a little bit” in an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use both simple statements and comparisons, but control is inconsistent. Several sentences are incomplete or incorrectly joined, including “While the percentage in change export…” and “While, the textiles had the lowest earning.” Verb forms and agreement are also problematic: “prices had significantly increase,” “It increase 3%,” and “the value … are increase.” Capitalisation and punctuation errors occur throughout, for example the lowercase “the” after full stops and commas joining independent clauses. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise complete sentence structures, especially clauses introduced by “while,” and use consistent past-tense forms such as “increased” and “fell” when describing the data.

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