Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-19
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 electricity production and consumption across ten countries in 2014.
China is the major consumer as well as producer of electricity, it is closely followed by The United States. While The Korean Republic ranks at the bottom.
China produces 5,398 billion kWh, around 1000 billion kWh more than the US. Both China and US produce significantly higher than the other countries. Russia only produces 1,057 units ( 5 times less than china) and is closely followed by Japan at 936.2 units and India at 871 units. The other five countries produce significantly lower than the top producing countries. China produces close to ten times more than France, Brazil, Germany and Korea. The lowest producing country, Korea produces only 585.1 units.
China and US maintain the title of highest consumers as well. China, Russia and Korea consumes marginally lower than what it produces while the US consumes 1000 units less than what it produces. Germany is the only country where consumption exceeds production by around 50 units. Japan, Canada, France,Brazil have a production that exceeds their consumption by 100 units respectively while for Inida this difference stands at 200 units.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The candidate provides an overview of the main features in the bar chart, noting that China and the United States lead significantly in both electricity production and consumption. Key comparisons are made between the top countries and the remaining nations. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that Korea produces '585.1 units', whereas the chart clearly shows 485.1. Additionally, some statements regarding consumption versus production contain minor factual discrepancies compared to the visual data. Despite these data slips, the response covers all parts of the task and attempts a comprehensive comparison across the ten countries, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is arranged logically into an introduction, an overview of production, and an overview of consumption. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of data. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or lacking, and referencing can be unclear, such as shifting abruptly between countries without smooth transitions. For example, sentences like 'Both China and US produce significantly higher than the other countries' could be linked more fluidly to the following specific figures. Overall progression is visible, but the cohesive links within paragraphs are occasionally faulty, aligning well with Band 6.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms like 'producer', 'consumer', 'significantly higher', and 'exceeds'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but also noticeable word-choice and transcription errors, such as referring to 'The Korean Republic' and 'Inida'. Furthermore, inaccuracies in quoting numbers indicate minor lexical/numerical translation slips. While communication is not impeded and the core message comes across clearly, the errors in spelling and collocation keep the response firmly at a Band 6.0 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating clauses of contrast with 'While' and comparative structures such as 'around 1000 billion kWh more than'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text. Examples include comma splices ('China is the major consumer as well as producer of electricity, it is closely followed by The United States'), subject-verb agreement issues ('Korea, Russia and Korea consumes'), and missing articles ('the US'). These errors do not impede overall communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 7.0.
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.