Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-30

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 ten countries who produce and use most the electricity in 2014. Units measured by (billion kWh).

Overall, both China and the United States were the most countries who product and consume electricity whereas, countries including Russia, Japan, India, Canada, France, Brazil, Germany, and Korea have the lowest amount expenditure in electricity’s production and consumption.

To begin with, China ranked the first as a nation who use and produce electricity (5,322 and 5,398 billion kWh respectively), the United States ranked second in production with 4,099 billion kWh, and in consumption 3,866 billion kWh. Moreover, Russia was the third country who use and produce electricity relatively, 1,057 billion kWh and 1,038 billion kWh respectively.

Whereas, the other countries were the lowest in both using and production the electricity in comparison with China and the United States. Japan (932,2 billion kWh and 856,7 billion kWh), India (871 and 698,8 billion kWh), Canada(618,9 and 499,9 billion kWh), France(561,3 and 462,9 billion kWh), Brazil(540,7 and 455,8 billion kWh). all of these countries product electricity more than they consume it. Germany(526,6 and 582.5 billion kWh) the only country who consume electricity more than producing it. Then, Korea which ranked the last nation among the other nations in both producing and using electricity (585,1 and 449,5 billion kWh respectively).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart, including the leading positions of China and the US and the general trend of production versus consumption. However, the response lacks precision in reporting data. For instance, you mention 'expenditure' when referring to electricity, which is an inaccurate term for production/consumption volumes. Additionally, the grouping of the remaining eight countries as having the 'lowest amount' is a bit vague, as there is a significant range between Russia and Korea. To improve, ensure you accurately label the data and avoid over-generalizing when significant differences exist between the countries listed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific data points. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Whereas' to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or misused, such as starting a sentence with 'Whereas' to contrast the entire group of remaining countries. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using more varied cohesive structures rather than relying on repetitive list-like reporting of figures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'illustrates', 'consumption', and 'respectively'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'amount expenditure' instead of 'volume' or 'levels', and 'product' used as a verb instead of 'produce'. There are also minor issues with number formatting, such as using commas instead of decimal points (e.g., '932,2'), which is inconsistent with standard English conventions. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and nouns would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('China and the United States were the most countries') and verb forms ('countries who product'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly regarding the use of commas and decimal points. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on consistent verb tense usage and correct sentence construction will improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.