Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-25

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 above chart illustrates the top 10 countries for the production and consumption of electricity in 2014.

The country with highest number of electricity production is China whereas the country with lowest production is Korea with the difference of 4912.9 billion kWh in production and 4872.5 billion kWh in consumption.

In 2014, China produced 5398 billion kWh and consumed 5322 billion kWh of electricity meanwhile Korea had produced 485.1 billion kWh and consumed 449.5 billion kWh of electricity with slightly difference of 76billion kWh and 36 billion kWh between the production and consumption respectively showing that both nation had consumed less than they produced. Other major nations were United States, Russia, Japan, India, Canada, France, Brazil, Germany with electricity production of 4099 billion kWh, 1057 billion kWh, 936.2 billion kWh, 871 billion kWh, 618.9 billion kWh, 561.2 billion kWh, 530.7 billion kWh, 526.6 billion kWh respectively, and the consumption of 3866 billion kWh, 1038 billion kWh, 856.7 billion kWh, 698.8 billion kWh 499.9 billion kWh, 462.9 billion kWh, 455.8 billion kWh, 582.5 billion kWh respectively.

From the above bar char, we can conclude that all the countries, except Germany, had produced more electricity than they had consumed, Germany consumed 55.9 billion kWh more than they had produced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, including the top ten countries and the comparison between production and consumption. However, the presentation of data is somewhat mechanical, relying heavily on listing figures rather than synthesizing trends. For instance, the second paragraph attempts a comparison but becomes cluttered with too many numbers, making it difficult to follow. While the key feature of Germany being the only country to consume more than it produced is identified, the overall analysis lacks a clear, concise overview of the data's significance. The response addresses the prompt but would benefit from grouping countries by performance levels rather than listing them individually.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'meanwhile' and 'whereas'. However, the flow is often interrupted by the dense listing of statistics. The transition between the general overview and the specific data points is somewhat abrupt. Referencing is generally clear, but the mechanical nature of the sentence structures—repeatedly using 'respectively'—makes the progression feel repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body, and the conclusion, which helps the reader navigate the information, but the internal cohesion within the body paragraph could be improved by using more varied linking phrases.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate the data clearly. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'produced' and 'consumed'. While the writer uses 'respectively' correctly to manage complex data, there is a lack of variety in reporting verbs or descriptive language. Phrases like 'highest number of electricity production' are slightly awkward; 'highest level of electricity production' would be more natural. The range is sufficient to convey the information, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or precision required for a higher band score, as the language remains quite functional and limited to the data provided.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'with slightly difference of' (should be 'with a slight difference of') and 'both nation' (should be 'both nations'). Additionally, the sentence 'the country with highest number' is missing an article ('the highest'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The use of punctuation is generally acceptable, but the long, list-heavy sentences in the third paragraph make the text feel cumbersome. More attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage would improve the accuracy significantly.

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

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