Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-06

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 the production and consumption of electricity across 10 cities in the year 2014.

Overall, the data recorded shows that China tops the chart by a significant extent. While most countries generate more electricity than they consume, Germany is the only country with a higher demand than supply.

At the bottom of the data is Korea Republic which has the least consumption and production of energy. Russia remains almost at par with the energy requirement of the country. While, United States holds the 2nd position leaving the rest of the countries behind by a large number. Japan and India the two Asian countries, can be seen having a production level of 936.2 kWh and 871 kWh respectively. Canada observes a greater supply than demand by 119 kWh. Countries on the 7th and 8th position can be seen having a minimal difference with France trailing by 31.5 kWh in terms of production and 7.1 kWh in terms of consumption

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by reporting the main features of the bar chart, such as China leading significantly and Germany having higher consumption than production. However, there are notable inaccuracies and omissions. The writer incorrectly refers to '10 cities' instead of countries, and misinterprets data points, such as stating Russia remains 'almost at par with the energy requirement of the country' when the chart shows separate figures for production and consumption. Furthermore, key comparisons are missed or underdeveloped. While the overview is partially present, the lack of precision in reporting data prevents the response from achieving a higher level, placing it firmly in the middle band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic overall structure with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, providing a coherent overall arrangement. However, progression is disrupted by abrupt transitions and poorly linked sentences. For example, starting a paragraph with 'At the bottom of the data is Korea Republic' followed immediately by a jump to Russia and then the United States lacks logical flow. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or misused, as seen in the isolated sentence 'While, United States holds the 2nd position', where punctuation and transition markers are handled incorrectly. Paragraphing is attempted but ideas within paragraphs are disjointed.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'significant extent', 'demand than supply', and 'minimal difference'. There are, however, some inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as writing 'Korea Republic' instead of 'Korea, Rep.' or using 'cities' instead of 'countries'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not severely impede communication, allowing the response to secure a solid score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'While most countries generate more electricity than they consume...' However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that surface throughout the text. These include missing articles ('United States holds the 2nd position'), faulty punctuation around dependent clauses ('While, United States...'), and occasional awkward preposition use. While these errors rarely completely obscure meaning, they cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and reflect a limited level of control over complex structures.

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