Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-19

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 provides information on the production and consumption of electricity in China,United States,Russia,Japan,India,Canada,France,Brazil,Germany,Korea in 2014 where production and consumption units are measured in billion kWh.

Overall, China showed the maximum amount of production and consumption units among all countries while the lowest production and consumption units was observed in Korea.

As china had the highest production and consumption units which was 5,398 and 5,322 billion kWh respectively thus United States held the second position where 4,099 units produced also 3,866 units consumed. While in Korea and Germany,there was slight difference in production and consumption units but in Germany the consumption units outweighed the production units. France and Brazil depicted nearly similar units but in France the production and consumption units are higher than Brazil which was 561.2 and 462.9 billion kWh. In Russia and Japan, there was slight difference in both units where in India, 871 units where produced from which 698.8 units was consumed.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: China leads both measures, while Korea has the lowest figures. Several comparisons are also accurate, including the United States’ second place and Germany’s consumption exceeding its production. However, the report covers the data unevenly and leaves important comparisons unclear. For example, you say France and Brazil are similar but give only France’s figures, and the statement that Russia and Japan show a “slight difference” does not specify the values or explain their relative positions. The overview could also highlight the large gap between the top two countries and the rest. Select a few key figures across the chart and compare them explicitly to make the main features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of comparisons. This helps the reader identify the main topic and the broad ranking. However, the final paragraph moves between countries without a clear organising principle, shifting from China and the United States to Korea and Germany, then France and Brazil, and finally Russia, Japan and India. Some linking is also awkward or mechanical, particularly “As China had…” and “While in Korea and Germany…”. Group the countries more systematically—for example, the two leading producers, the middle-ranking countries, and the lower figures—and use clear transitions to show how each comparison relates to the previous one. This would create a more consistent progression and make the relationships between details easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “production,” “consumption,” “highest,” “second position,” and “outweighed,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited by repeated phrases such as “units” and “production and consumption units,” which are not always natural for describing electricity figures. Some expressions are imprecise or awkward, including “showed the maximum amount” and “depicted nearly similar units.” Use more precise terms such as “generated,” “used,” “figure,” and “level,” and vary the language for comparisons. Country names and the unit are mostly recognisable, but more natural collocations would make the report clearer and more fluent. Aim to describe the data directly rather than repeatedly referring to “units.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “where production and consumption units are measured” and a contrast in “but in Germany…”. However, complex sentences are often not controlled successfully. The opening sentence lacks spaces after commas, and “As China had the highest… thus United States held…” combines clauses incorrectly. There are also agreement and tense problems, as in “the lowest… units was observed” and “871 units where produced.” The sentence beginning “While in Korea and Germany” is incomplete, and punctuation around several clauses is inconsistent. Practise building complete sentences with one clear main clause, then check subject–verb agreement and past-tense forms when reporting the 2014 data.

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