Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-11

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 chart compares about the top ten countries for the amount of electricity produced and consumed in the year 2014.

China was the highest in producing and consuming the electricity whereas Korea was at the lowest.

China produced 5398 billion kWh of electricity followed by America which is 4099 billion kWh .By looking at the graph it can be clearly mentioned that all the countries produced more than consumed except Germany where the production was 526.6 billion kWh and the electricity needed was 582.5 billion kWh.

Only America was able to produce the highest amount of electricity then its consumption that is nearly 200 billion kWh while China only about 80 billion kWh. The other countries like Russia, Japan, India, Canada, France, Brazil, Korea, Rep were the countries that were the the same if compared to America, except for the country Germany which was not able to produce more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, such as identifying China as the leader in both production and consumption and noting the exception of Germany. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. The comparison between production and consumption is not fully developed, and the description of the other countries is vague and confusing, failing to provide specific data points for the remaining nations. To reach a higher band, you should group the countries more effectively and provide more precise comparative data rather than stating they are 'the same'. The overview is missing, which is a key requirement for Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into short paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between the general overview and the specific data points is abrupt. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as the phrase 'the other countries like... were the same if compared to America', which is unclear and lacks logical flow. Paragraphing is present but does not effectively separate the different aspects of the data, making the overall structure feel disjointed. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear focus would enhance coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic verbs like 'produced' and 'consumed' repeatedly. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'the electricity needed', which is less formal than 'electricity consumption'. The phrase 'the same if compared to America' is imprecise and does not clearly convey the relationship between the data points. To improve, try to incorporate more varied terminology related to data reporting, such as 'surpassed', 'accounted for', or 'a significant margin'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'The bar chart compares about the top ten countries' is awkward; 'compares' does not take 'about'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'the electricity' when referring to electricity in general. The sentence 'Only America was able to produce the highest amount of electricity then its consumption' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band.

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

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