Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-11
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 given chart illustrates the values of one country's exports in some categories.The other table shows the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Overall, petroleum products is very high export than engineered goods and other categories, and the least export product is textiles. On the other hand textiles have high percentage change in values then all other categories compared to petroleum products.
Firstly, chart shows 60B$ to 62B$ earnings of petroleum products in 2015 and 2016, while, 57B$ to 61B$ export earnings of engineered goods. Moreover, the export earning of gems and jewellery or agricultural products lies between 42B$ to 30B$ in 2015 and 2016. Textiles export earnings is 25B$ in 2015 and 31B$ in 2016.
Secondly, the higher percentage change in values is textiles that is 15.24%, then engineered goods 8.5% or gems and jewellery which is 5.18%. While, percentage change in values of agricultural products and prtroleum products lies between 0.81% to 3%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the chart and table and include an overview, noting that petroleum products are the largest export and textiles show the strongest percentage rise. You also report several relevant figures. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: textiles are the smallest category in 2015, but in 2016 they are level with agricultural products, not clearly the least. Some figures are also imprecise or confusing: gems and jewellery fell from about $43 billion to $41 billion, while agricultural exports stayed near $31 billion; saying both “lie between 42B$ to 30B$” obscures this contrast. The response is 146 words, below the required 150, so it does not meet the minimum. Develop the comparisons more clearly and include the direction of change for each category.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting details. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Firstly,” and “Secondly” help signal the stages of the report. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the first detail paragraph combines several categories in a vague comparison, and the second groups figures without explaining their significance. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “while” and “then,” and the final sentence makes the relationship between the two smaller percentage changes difficult to follow. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, rising categories together and the decline in gems separately—and use more precise links between sentences.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “export earnings,” “percentage change,” and category names, so the reader can generally understand the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “very high export,” “least export product,” and “high percentage change in values then all other categories.” Repetition of “export” and “values” also makes the report less precise. There are spelling errors, including “prtroleum,” and forms such as “textiles export earnings” are awkward. Aim for accurate reporting verbs and comparison language, such as “generated,” “recorded,” “rose,” and “declined,” while checking spelling and using natural phrases like “the largest export category.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the main message is usually recoverable. However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to make some comparisons difficult to interpret. For example, “petroleum products is” has subject–verb disagreement, while “textiles have high percentage change” lacks an article and uses an unclear structure. The sentence beginning “Moreover, the export earning … lies between” has agreement and sentence-pattern problems, and “60B$ to 62B$ earnings” does not form a clear grammatical comparison. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and commas used awkwardly. Practise complete comparison structures, such as “Earnings rose from $60 billion to $63 billion,” and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.
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