Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-30

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 5.0)

This is the rank of countries for the production and consumption of electricity in 2014. The list starts with the country on number 1 to the last country, that's on number 10.

First, China produced 5,398 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 5,322 billion kWh.

In the same year, russia produced 1,052 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 1,032 billion kWh.

Japan produced 936.2 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 856.7 billion kWh of electricity.

India produced 871 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 698.8 billion kWh of electricity.

Canada produced 618.9 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 499.9 billion kWh of electricity.

France produced 561.2 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 462.9 billion kWh of electricity.

Brazil produced 530.7 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 455.8 billion kWh of electricity.

Germany produced 526.6 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 582.5 billion kWh of electricity. Germany is the only country that consumed more electricity than they produced.

Lastly, the Republic of Korea produced 485.1 billion kWh of electricity and consumed 449.5 billion kWh of electricity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and reports many country figures, and the observation that Germany is the only country where consumption exceeds production is accurate and relevant. However, it does not adequately summarise the main features: the United States, the second-largest producer and consumer, is omitted entirely, and there is no clear overview comparing the two leading countries with the much lower figures for the rest. Russia’s figures are also reported as 1,052 and 1,032 rather than 1,057 and 1,038. The opening merely explains the ranking rather than presenting the key pattern. To improve, include all major comparisons, give a concise overview, and check figures against the chart. Ten words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The information is presented in a mostly understandable sequence, moving through the countries and using basic signposts such as “First,” “In the same year,” and “Lastly.” The Germany comparison also follows naturally from its figures. However, the response is essentially one repeated list, with no paragraphing to distinguish an overview from supporting details. The opening sentence about the list’s ranking does little to guide the reader, and the repeated sentence pattern makes progression mechanical rather than analytical. Grouping the two leading countries and then the remaining countries, while adding a separate overview, would make the organisation clearer. Use linking language to highlight comparisons, not only to introduce the next country.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic subject and figures, and terms such as “produced,” “consumed,” and “billion kWh” are generally appropriate. The main limitation is repetition: “produced … electricity and consumed … electricity” recurs for nearly every country, while “the country on number 1” is an awkward way to describe ranking. “The list starts” also describes the display rather than the data. More precise reporting language, such as “generated,” “ranked first,” “recorded,” and “by contrast,” would allow the response to compare values more efficiently. The lowercase spelling of “russia” is another noticeable accuracy issue. Overall, the vocabulary conveys the information, but its range and flexibility are limited.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Most sentences are complete and the repeated past-tense reporting pattern is generally controlled, so the figures remain understandable. There is some sentence variety, including the compound sentence “Germany is the only country that consumed more electricity than they produced.” However, the response relies heavily on simple, similarly structured sentences and shows limited control of more varied comparisons. In that example, “they” does not agree clearly with the singular subject “Germany”; use “it” or recast the sentence. The opening phrase “that's on number 10” is also awkwardly constructed, and the comma before “that's” is unnecessary. Aim to combine related figures in accurate comparative sentences and check pronoun reference and punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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