Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-24

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 7.5)

The bar chart compares the production and consumption of electricity across the top 10 ranked countries measured in billion kWh in 2014.

Overall, China and the United States dominated both consumption and production of electricity by a significant margin. Furthermore, almost all countries generated electricity more than its consumption, with Germany being the only exception.

China ranked first, producing 5,398 billion kWh and consuming 5,322 billion kWh. The United States followed closely in second position, generating 4,099 billion kWh and consuming 3,866 billion kWh. These figures were four times more than those of the third place country, Russia, which generated 1,057 billion kWh and consumed 1,038 billion kWh. Japan and India occupied the fourth and fifth positions, with the production figures of 936.2 billion kWh and 871 billion kWh and consuming 856.7 billion kWh and 698.8 billion kWh, respectively.

In the lower half of the ranking countries, Canada, France, and Brazil showed moderate levels of productivity. Canada produced 618.9 billion kWh , while France and Brazil produced 561.2 and 530.7 billion kWh. Consumption of these three countries stood lower than their production, standing at 499.9, 462.9, 455.8 billion kWh. The republic of Korea produced 485.1 billion kWh, while consuming 449.5 billion kWh. Germany was the sole exception, consuming 582.5 billion kWh despite generating only 526.6 billion kWh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The student fully addresses all parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of the bar chart while providing relevant comparisons. The overview is clear and accurately captures the dominant positions of China and the United States, as well as the notable exception of Germany. Specific data points, such as China's 5,398 billion kWh of production and the stark contrast with other nations, are well utilised to support the summary. The figures are accurately reported from the visual data, and comparisons between production and consumption are handled logically throughout the text. The response meets all requirements for a Band 8 level in Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an effective introductory statement and overview paragraph, followed by well-structured body paragraphs that break down the rankings logically from top nations down to the lower half. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'respectively', and 'In the lower half of the ranking countries' are used naturally and effectively to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately, separating the top-tier countries from the rest. Cohesion is well-managed throughout, fully justifying a Band 8 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a wide and flexible lexical range suitable for an Academic Task 1 response. Vocabulary items such as 'dominated', 'significant margin', 'exception', and 'moderate levels of productivity' are used accurately and appropriately. There is good use of collocation and variation in reporting verbs and nouns (e.g., 'production', 'consumption', 'generating', 'consuming'). While there is a minor unnatural phrasing in 'almost all countries generated electricity more than its consumption' (where 'more than its consumption' is slightly awkward), the overall lexical control is strong and precise, fitting the Band 7.5 to 8 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response exhibits a wide range of complex sentence structures, including participial phrases ('producing 5,398 billion kWh and consuming 5,322 billion kWh') and comparative structures ('These figures were four times more than those of the third place country'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and grammatical control is strong. There are very minor mechanical issues, such as a redundant space before a comma in '618.9 billion kWh ,' but these do not impede communication or detract from the overall high quality of grammatical accuracy. This easily achieves a Band 8.

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