Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-27

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 top ten countries (China, United States, Russia, Japan, India, Canada, France, Brazil, Germany, Korea, Rep) for the production and consumption of electricity ( measured by billion kWh) in 2014.

Overall, it is clearly showed that China was the highest electricity production and consumption, while Korea was the lowest among ten countries.

China produced 5398 billion kWh and people used almost whole produced electricity by 5322 billion kWh. United States was the second possition who produced 4099 billion kWh electricity in this year and consumed 3866 billion electricity.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: China ranks highest for both production and consumption, while Korea is lowest. You also report the production and consumption figures for China and the United States accurately. However, the response addresses only a small part of the task: it gives no comparisons or figures for the other eight countries, and the overview does not mention the general pattern that production exceeds consumption in most countries or Germany’s exception. The response is also below the required 150 words, leaving the key features substantially under-reported. To improve, add a concise overview and compare the remaining countries in meaningful groups, using selected figures rather than listing every value.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable structure: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview and then details about China and the United States. The sequence is logical, and the reader can follow the two examples. However, the response ends abruptly after the US figures, so there is no progression through the rest of the chart or a concluding comparison. Connections between ideas are also limited; for example, the final paragraph could contrast the two leading countries and then move to the lower-ranked group. Develop the body into clearly organised comparisons and use linking expressions selectively to show similarities and differences, rather than relying on separate statements.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “production,” “consumption,” “highest,” and “lowest,” and the country names and units are generally clear. This is enough to communicate the main subject, but the range is narrow because the response reports only two countries and repeats basic terms such as “produced” and “consumed.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “people used almost whole produced electricity” is not a natural way to describe national consumption, and “second possition” contains a spelling error. Use precise reporting language such as “generated,” “consumed,” “ranked second,” and “slightly exceeded,” and vary comparisons to describe the remaining data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce several complete sentences, and the basic meaning is usually clear. There is some sentence variety, including the overview clause beginning “while Korea was the lowest.” However, grammatical control is uneven. “It is clearly showed” has an incorrect verb form, and “China was the highest electricity production and consumption” lacks a grammatical construction linking China to those measures. In “United States was the second possition who produced…,” the relative clause is not formed appropriately, and the article before “United States” is missing. Aim for accurate patterns such as “China had the highest figures for both production and consumption” and “The United States ranked second, producing…”. Check articles, verb forms, and clause structure when editing.

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