Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-11

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 graph provides a information about ten countries arranges according to electricity usage in 2014. Units are measured in kWh.

Overall it is crystal clear production and consumption were really close for each country and china had lead. In addition, Korea showed least amount of production and consumption of energy. Whereas more than 5 places shared almost the same amount of electricity use.

At a fleeting glance, China had the highest figures in both categories with 5338 and 5322, which gave the first place. The USA secured the second rank by consuming 4099 kWh and producing 3505. Russia came after that to be in the top three in terms of electricity by taking 1057 and generating 1036.

Moreover, Japan and India took third and fourth place with negligible amounts of their power consuming 580 and 570, respectively and using the same amount. Japan, India. After that, France, Brazil and Germany were shown in 7th, 8th and 9th positions with a range between 618 to 518 in all manners of power usage, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the bar chart, identifying the top countries and comparing production and consumption. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the text states that Japan and India took third and fourth place, whereas the chart shows Russia, Japan, and Germany in those positions. Furthermore, the claim that these countries consumed 'negligible amounts' is factually incorrect given the scale of the data. The overview is present but lacks precision in summarizing the key trends, such as the consistent gap between production and consumption in countries like the USA.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'In addition,' 'Whereas,' and 'Moreover.' However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by confusing phrasing, such as the abrupt sentence 'Japan, India.' The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. While the structure is generally coherent, the mechanical use of some linking words and the lack of flow between specific data points limit the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'arranges according to,' 'in all manners of power usage,' and 'took third and fourth place with negligible amounts.' The range is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or precise terminology to describe statistical trends prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'provides a information,' 'Korea showed least amount,' and 'China had lead.' Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas in lists. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable and demonstrate a lack of control over complex grammatical forms.

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

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