Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-07

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 illustrates the amount of electricity product and consumed by the ten countries in the year 2014.

Overall, China and United states have a largest producers and consumer by significant margin . Notably ,Germany was the only country among the top ten that consumed more electricity than it generated.

China ranked first producing 5,398 billion kWH . The United states followed closely in second place , generating 4,009 billion KWH and using 3,866billion kwh .

Russia held the third position ,with production and consumption just above 1000 billion kWh . The next seven countries was below 1000 billion KWH . While India , Canada ,France , Brazil and south korea all generated a surplus of electricity . Germany showed an exceptional trend by consuming 582.5 billionKWH while only producing 526 billion KWH. This was a comparison of electricity .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, such as the dominance of China and the US, and correctly identifies the anomaly regarding Germany's consumption. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. While the key data points are selected, the analysis is somewhat brief. To improve, you should ensure you meet the word count requirement by providing a more detailed comparison of the remaining countries, rather than grouping them together too quickly. The summary is accurate, but the lack of sufficient length prevents a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. There is a clear progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, there are some minor issues with referencing and punctuation, such as the spacing errors in '3,866billion kwh'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring consistent paragraph structure would enhance the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the data clearly. You use terms like 'producers', 'consumer', 'generating', and 'surplus' appropriately. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and form, such as 'electricity product' instead of 'electricity production'. There are also inconsistent capitalizations (e.g., 'KWH' vs 'kwh') and spacing errors that detract from the professional quality of the writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology and ensuring consistent formatting of units and technical terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The next seven countries was below') and incorrect word forms ('have a largest producers'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around numbers and units. While these errors rarely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and consistent punctuation will help improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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