Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-09

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)

The chart illustrates the value in billion dollar of one country’s exports in different categories in the year 2015 and 2016.

It is conspicuous that the value of the country's exports in all categories in 2016 is always higher than 2015 where for Gems and jewellery category it is lower in 2016. In Petroleum products it experienced higher amount of dollar in both years whereas for Textiles it is the lowest of all categories.

Agricultural products is the minimum rising in 2016 by only 0.81% where the highest rising is in the Textiles category by 15.24%. Gems and jewellery is the category where it is declined by 5.18% in 2016. in both years the Petroleum products bearing the highest value which is likely 61% and 64% respectively for 2015 and 2016.

Though the Textiles category experienced lower value of all categories but it has the highest incremental category in 2016. Engineered goods and Petroleum products category is increased by 8.5% and 3% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and report several relevant percentage changes, including the rise in textiles and the fall in gems and jewellery. However, the overview is not fully accurate: you say exports in all categories were higher in 2016 except gems, but petroleum, engineered goods, agricultural products and textiles are the categories that rose, while gems fell; this is broadly correct, though agricultural products changed only slightly. More importantly, the petroleum figures are misreported as “61% and 64%”; the chart gives values of about $61 billion and $63 billion, not percentages. The claim that textiles had the lowest value is also inaccurate for 2016, when it was level with agricultural products. Select and compare the key figures more precisely to make the summary clearer and more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to general observations and then to category details. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “whereas” and “Though” attempt to connect contrasting points. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview repeats information later, and the final paragraph revisits textiles and the percentage increases without adding a distinct comparison. Some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “where for Gems and jewellery category it is lower” and “Though the Textiles category experienced lower value of all categories.” Organise the report into a concise overview followed by grouped comparisons, and use clear references to the years and categories so that each paragraph develops a separate point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “exports,” “category,” “declined,” “highest,” and “incremental,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, the range and control are limited, with repeated use of “category,” “value,” and “higher,” and several unnatural collocations. For example, “higher amount of dollar” and “highest incremental category” do not express the intended comparisons naturally; “highest export value” and “largest percentage increase” would be more precise. “Minimum rising” is also unclear, while “61% and 64%” uses the wrong unit in context. Aim for accurate chart language such as “stood at,” “rose by,” “fell to,” and “accounted for,” and distinguish values in billions from percentage changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “Though,” but grammatical control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement and sentence construction appear in “Agricultural products is the minimum rising” and “Engineered goods and Petroleum products category is increased.” The sentence beginning “It is conspicuous that” also has an unclear structure, and the phrase “in both years the Petroleum products bearing” lacks a finite verb. Capitalisation after a full stop is inconsistent (“in both years”), and several sentences would benefit from clearer punctuation. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the general topic, but they make some comparisons difficult to follow. Practise complete subject–verb structures and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.