Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-11

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 provided bar graph demonstrates the ranking of countries for the production and consumption of electricity in the year 2014.

Overall, China is ranked first for both producing and consuming electric power, Follwed by the United States which at rank no. 2. Korea and Germany has the lowest rank at number 10 and 9 respectively.

Looking into more detail, both China and the United States are the biggest producer of electricity with 5,398 kWh produced by China and 4099 KWh produced by the United States.Both countries produced more electricity but consumed less. Followed by Russia, which produced 1057kWh electricity and consumed 1038kWh electricity. Then comes India which is ranked 5th with the production of 871kWh and consumed 698.8kWh. Canada is at number 6 with the production rate of 618.9kWh. France, Brazil and Germany produced electricity above 500kWh and are ranked from number 7 to 9 but Germany consumed more power(582.5) than it produced. Korea is the only country which produced below 500kWh, it produced 485.1 kWh and utiliized 449.5kWh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main leaders accurately: China and the United States rank first and second in both production and consumption, and you note Germany’s unusual higher consumption than production. Several figures are also reported correctly. However, the overview is incomplete: saying Korea and Germany have the lowest “rank” is unclear, since they are ninth and tenth, while their output levels are the lowest. The response also omits important comparisons, especially the large gap between the top two countries and the much lower figures for the remaining countries. Japan’s data and consumption figures for Canada, France and Brazil are not covered. Report the chart’s units as billion kWh, not simply kWh, and make the overall patterns clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and a detail paragraph. The sequence from the leading countries to lower-ranked producers generally helps the reader follow the information. However, progression is sometimes mechanical, with repeated transitions such as “Followed by” and “Then comes,” and the long final paragraph combines several countries and comparisons without clear grouping. Some links are also awkward: “Both countries produced more electricity but consumed less” would be clearer if it explicitly compared production with consumption. Use separate paragraphs for the leading countries and the remaining group, and connect comparisons with precise phrases such as “whereas” or “by contrast.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “production,” “consumed,” “ranked,” and “produced,” so the topic remains understandable. There is some variation in how you describe the data, but several choices are imprecise or repetitive: “biggest producer” is less suitable for a chart comparison than “largest producer,” and “production rate” does not accurately describe the quantity shown. “Lowest rank” is also ambiguous because rank numbers and electricity output are different measures. Spelling and form errors such as “Follwed” and “utiliized” are noticeable. Aim for accurate collocations and use the chart’s unit consistently: “billion kWh.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the main information is usually understandable. However, control is uneven, with errors in agreement, sentence construction and punctuation. For example, “Korea and Germany has” should use a plural verb, while “Followed by Russia” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. The clause “the United States which at rank no. 2” is also incomplete; write “the United States, which ranks second.” Several sentences run together, notably after “United States” and around “more power(582.5) than it produced.” Use complete clauses, check subject–verb agreement, and punctuate comparisons carefully. More accurate complex sentences would improve clarity.

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.