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 presented illustrates the top 10 countries with the most electricity consumption and production in 2014, units measured in billion kWh.

Overall, we notice the clear dominance of the two frirst places by China and the United States respectively. The 3rd place until the last from the ten is way lower, and the difference is noticable.

China has taken the lead and has produced 5.389 billion kwh and consumed 5.322 billion kWh and we notice that the numbers are close. THe United States however, produced around 4 billion kWh and consumed 3.866.

Russia on the other hand, is the last country in the top 10 to produce over 1 billion Kwh which is around that number, and the consumption is the same.

The rest of the countries on the list has produced less than 1 billion and we notice that they all consumed more than they have produced, with Germany as an exception.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a useful overview by highlighting China and the United States as the clear leaders, then noting the sharp drop to the other countries. You also include several relevant comparisons, such as China’s similar production and consumption and Germany’s exception. However, some details are inaccurate or too vague: China produced 5,398 billion kWh, not 5,389, and Russia’s consumption was slightly below production rather than “the same.” The claim that all the remaining countries consumed more than they produced is also incorrect: production exceeded consumption for Japan, India, Canada, France, Brazil and Korea. Develop the overview with accurate comparisons and support the lower-ranked countries with selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the leading countries and the rest. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression becomes less clear in the final paragraph, where several countries are grouped together and the broad claim about their consumption is inaccurate. Linking phrases such as “however” and “on the other hand” help signal contrast, but the repeated country-by-country pattern and limited detail make the account feel list-like. Organise the body around meaningful comparisons—for example, the two leading producers, the middle group, and Germany’s unusual result—and use clear references to connect each comparison to the overview.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “dominance,” “produced,” “consumed,” and “exception,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There is some variation in how comparisons are expressed, but several phrases are imprecise or informal for an academic report. “The 3rd place until the last from the ten is way lower” is awkward and does not clearly describe the scale of the difference; “the remaining countries produced substantially less” would be more precise. “The consumption is the same” also overstates the similarity. Spelling and capitalisation slips, including “frirst,” “noticable,” and inconsistent “kWh,” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise comparative language and check spelling and standard unit formatting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including contrast clauses such as “The United States however, produced…” and the relative clause “which is around that number.” The main comparisons remain understandable, but errors in sentence construction and agreement recur. For example, “The rest of the countries on the list has produced” should use a plural verb, and “they all consumed more than they have produced” shifts awkwardly between past simple and present perfect. The sentence about Russia is also difficult to follow because “which is around that number” has an unclear reference. Use consistent past-tense forms for the 2014 data, check subject–verb agreement, and divide unclear long sentences into more controlled clauses.

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