Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-05
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The chart below shows the value of one country’s exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The table shows the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
One country's exports in different categories of goods for the year 2015 and 2016 are shown in the chart. It also highlights the percentage change in each category of exports.
From the chart, it is visible that the country exports different categories of product and each product's earnings (in billions) is given for 2015 and 2016.
Petroleum products and engineered goods contributing majorly in the export earnings. Remarkably, both showed an increase from last year. Petroleum with 3% increase and engineered goods 8.5% increase.
Gems and jewellery fell by 5.18% as compared to last year. Whereas we can see a huge growth in textiles with 15.24% increase and a minor increase in agricultural products.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify the chart’s subject and report several correct percentage changes, including the rise in petroleum and engineered goods and the fall in gems and jewellery. However, the response is only a partial summary: it gives no actual export values and does not clearly compare the categories’ earnings in 2015 and 2016. The overview is also limited; the key contrast that petroleum remained the highest earner while textiles recorded the strongest growth is not stated. Agricultural products’ small increase is mentioned but not quantified. The response contains 106 words, which is 44 words below the required minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt were excluded. Add a clear overview and select key figures to support the comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, comments on the leading categories, and then remarks on the remaining categories. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Whereas” signal a contrast. However, the progression is not fully developed because the categories are discussed without a consistent comparison of their values or a clear overview paragraph. The second paragraph repeats the idea that the chart shows export earnings, while the final paragraph groups several trends together without supporting detail. “Whereas” also begins a fragment rather than linking a complete contrast to the preceding sentence. Organise the report into an introduction, a concise overview, and two data-focused comparison paragraphs, using linking phrases to show relationships between figures.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “exports,” “percentage change,” “earnings,” and “growth,” and the category names are generally clear. The range is nevertheless narrow, with repeated reliance on “increase” and “products,” and some expressions are imprecise or awkward for describing a chart. For example, “contributing majorly” is not a natural collocation, and “huge growth” overstates the change without giving the reader a measured comparison. “Minor increase” is also vague when the table provides a precise percentage. Use a wider range of accurate reporting language, such as “accounted for,” “rose by,” or “recorded the largest percentage gain,” and pair descriptions with figures to make comparisons precise.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writing communicates its main points through mostly simple sentence patterns, and the opening sentence is understandable. However, there is limited structural variety, and several sentences are incomplete or awkwardly formed. “Petroleum products and engineered goods contributing majorly in the export earnings” lacks a finite verb; it could be written as “Petroleum products and engineered goods contributed the most to export earnings.” The sentence beginning “Whereas we can see” is also a dependent clause presented as a sentence. In addition, “each product’s earnings … is given” has an agreement problem because “earnings” is plural in this context. Practise combining comparisons into complete sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries before submitting.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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