Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-03

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The bar chart below shows the top ten countries for the production and consumption of electricity in 2014.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The bar chart compares the production and consumption of the

electricity in the ten leading countries in 2014, measured in billion kilowatt-hours kWh.

First and foremost, China was on first rank, generating 5398 billion kWh of electricity while consuming 5332 billion kWh. The United States of America was followed by 4099 billion kWh of production and around 3866 billion kWh of consumption was recorded in 2014.These numbers were significantly higher than remaining countries.

On the other hand, Russia produced 1507 billion kWh and used 1038 billion kWh, while Japan generates 932.2 billion kWh as compared with 856.7 kWh consumption. India has ranked 5th of producing around 871 billion kWh and consuming nearly 698.8 billion kWh. Moreover, the remaining countries generated less then 620 billion kWh each. Canada, France and Brazil all produced slightly more electricity than they consumed, with production number of 618.9, 561.2 and 530.7 billion kWh, Similarly, South Korea Generated 481.1 billion kWh and only 449.5 were consumed. And Germany was the only country who consuming 582.5 billion kWh but it only able to generates 526.6 which means its consumption was higher than its production.

Overall, China and the United States Produced and consume far more electricity than the other countries. In most cases, electricity production was slightly higher than consumption, although Germany was the only country where consumption exceed production.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the data, including the clear dominance of China and the USA and the general trend of production exceeding consumption. You covered all ten countries, which is a strength. However, the report could be improved by grouping the data more effectively rather than listing countries individually. For instance, you could have grouped the countries that produce more than they consume versus those that consume more. Additionally, ensure that you consistently use the correct units; you mentioned '856.7 kWh' for Japan, which is a significant error as the unit should be 'billion kWh'. Overall, the task is well-addressed, but more analytical grouping would elevate the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a summary. You used some cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' to guide the reader. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are a bit repetitive in their structure (e.g., 'produced... and used...'). Improving the variety of linking phrases and ensuring that paragraph breaks occur at logical thematic shifts would help improve the flow and cohesion of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly, using terms like 'generating', 'consumption', and 'leading countries'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'on first rank' (should be 'ranked first') and 'less then' (should be 'less than'). You also had a few slips with word forms, such as 'who consuming' instead of 'which was consuming'. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more precise academic collocations—such as 'surpassed', 'outstripped', or 'marginal difference'—would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'The United States of America was followed by 4099 billion kWh' (which is logically confusing) and 'it only able to generates' (should be 'it was only able to generate'). Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are occasionally problematic. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, they are frequent enough to keep the score in the 6.0 range. Focusing on proofreading for verb forms and prepositions would be highly beneficial.

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