Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-20

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 given chart illustrates the top ten nations for the manufacture and utilization of electricity in 2014.

Overall, the biggest state was China in the production and consumption of electricity, while USA was on the second top number. In contrast, remaining countries accounted least throughout the period.

China was top among the other countries with a production about 5,398 billion kWh while reduction was 5,322 billion kWh. Although, second top state, USA, had a lower production and consumption rate than China relatively 4,099 billion kWh and 3,866 billion kWh. Moreover, Russia and Japan fell under 3rd and 4th, with approximately same usage and yielding.

In contrast, remaining country like India had a more production than their usage, while Canada also had almost similar ratio of their electricity usage. Meanwhile, other countries such as France, Brazil, and Germany were producing electricity in the range of 500 billion kWh but their consumption were different from each other. The last country, Korea had lowest number of production and utilization than others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the top producers and consumers. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention China and the USA, the comparison of the remaining countries is vague. For instance, stating that countries like France and Germany were 'in the range of 500 billion kWh' is a good start, but the report lacks specific data points for these countries, which are necessary for a high-band response. Additionally, the term 'reduction' is used incorrectly instead of 'consumption'. To improve, ensure you provide more precise data comparisons and avoid misinterpreting the labels provided in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Although', and 'Meanwhile' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'remaining countries accounted least'. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is functional but could be smoother. Overall, the information is arranged coherently, but the use of cohesive devices could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'manufacture', 'utilization', and 'consumption'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice that hinder precision. For example, you use 'reduction' when you mean 'consumption', and 'yielding' is used in a slightly awkward context. There is also a tendency to use repetitive phrasing like 'top state' and 'top number'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding word-choice errors that create confusion for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'USA was on the second top number' (should be 'the second largest'), 'remaining country like India had a more production' (should be 'higher production'), and 'their consumption were different' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structures are occasionally clunky. Increasing the variety of error-free complex sentences and improving subject-verb agreement will help improve your score in this criterion.

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