Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-17

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 depicts a comparision of data for the production and consumption of electricity of ten countries in 2014. Units are measured billion kWh.

Overall, China was the top most producer and consumer for production and consumption of electricity whilst the Korean Republic was the lowest for both. The United States was the second largest producer and consumer of electricity.

Looking at the bar graph for more details, the top most producers and consumers of electricity were China and the USA. China produced 5,398 billion and consumed 5,322 billion electricity while the USA produced 4,099 billion and consumed 3,866 billion in 2014.

Surprisingly, Russia produced just 1,057and used 1,038 billion mWh of electricity and stood at the second position with having almost one-third less than USA. Other countries were pretty low on that regard. However,Korean republic was lo

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: China leads both measures, while Korea is lowest, and the United States ranks second. The figures for China and the US are accurate, and Russia’s values are also broadly correct. However, the response is incomplete: it ends abruptly at “Korean republic was lo” and gives little meaningful comparison of the remaining countries. The claim that Russia was “at the second position” is inaccurate; it ranks third, and “almost one-third less than USA” is unclear and does not accurately describe the comparison. The response also falls 11 words short of the required minimum. To improve, complete the report and select key contrasts, including Germany’s consumption exceeding its production.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details. Paragraphing helps distinguish the general picture from the figures, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Looking at the bar graph for more details” signal progression. However, the development is limited: the final paragraph stops mid-sentence, leaving the report without a proper conclusion to its comparisons. Some linking is also imprecise, particularly “However” before the unfinished point about Korea, where the contrast is not developed. The transition from Russia to “Other countries” is too broad to guide the reader through the data. Organise the details into a complete comparison of the leading countries and the lower-ranked group, using clear links between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “production,” “consumption,” “producer,” and “consumer,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There is some variation in how you describe the figures, such as “depicts a comparison” and “stood at.” However, several choices are inaccurate or awkward: “top most” is redundant, “pretty low on that regard” is informal and vague, and “mWh” is not the unit shown; the chart uses billion kWh. “Korean Republic” is also not the chart’s label, which is “Korea, Rep.” Spelling errors such as “comparision” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, formal expressions such as “ranked third” and “the remaining countries recorded substantially lower figures.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the contrast introduced by “whilst.” Most of the main comparisons can be understood, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “Units are measured billion kWh” is missing a preposition, and “China produced 5,398 billion and consumed 5,322 billion electricity” has an unclear noun structure. The phrase “stood at the second position with having” is also grammatically awkward. Punctuation and spacing need attention, as in “However,Korean,” and the final sentence is incomplete. Use complete, carefully checked sentences, for example, “China produced 5,398 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 5,322 billion kWh.”

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