Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-26

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 presents the information about the top ten countries in terms of production and consumption of electricity during 2014.

Overall, China and the United States were major producers and consumers in the ranking. While the Republic of Korea and Germany were at the bottom at of the ranking.

China's production and consumption were almost same with 5398 billion kWh and 5322 billion kWh. While the United States was followed by China with production of 4099 billion kWh and consumption of 3866 billion kWh. However, Russia's production and consumption of electricity were not even half of United States'. Even the rest of the countries were similar to Russia.

However, India ranked at fifth position and Japan was ranked after India.

Most of the western countries ranked after India from 6th position apart from the Korean Republic.

While, Republic of Korea was placed at the bottom of the graph with production of electricity 485.1 billion kWh and consumption of 449.5 billion kWh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, identifying the top producers and consumers. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention China and the US, the comparison between the other eight countries is vague, relying on general statements like 'the rest of the countries were similar to Russia' rather than providing specific data points to support these claims. To reach a higher band, you should group the data more effectively and provide more precise comparisons between the countries in the middle and lower tiers of the chart. The overview is present but could be more clearly integrated to highlight the significant gap between the top two nations and the rest.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'However' is used repeatedly at the start of sentences where it does not always signal a logical contrast. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Even the rest of the countries were similar to Russia,' which lacks a clear connection to the preceding data. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used to show logical relationships rather than just starting new sentences would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey the basic information about production and consumption. You use some subject-specific terms like 'billion kWh' correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'almost same' (should be 'almost the same') and 'ranked after India' (which is repetitive). To improve, try to incorporate more varied verbs and adjectives to describe trends and comparisons, such as 'surpassed,' 'lagged behind,' or 'a significant disparity.'

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 'at the bottom at of the ranking' (redundant preposition) and 'production of electricity 485.1 billion kWh' (missing preposition 'of'). Additionally, there are minor issues with articles, such as 'the United States' vs 'United States''. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a lack of consistent control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would help elevate your score.

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

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