Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-11
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)
While analyzing the graph, we can observe that this country's top export earnings are based on the export of petroleum products and engineered goods coming at 60 billion dollars and nearly 58 billion dollars in earning in 2015.Not only that,but we can notice an increase in earnings a year after coming at almost 63 billion dollars and 61 billion dollars respectively.Which is a 3% increase in earnings from petroleum products and an astonishing 8.5% increase in earning from engineered goods.After these two top earners , comes gems and jewelry exports.these exports earned about 44 billion dollars in 2015 ,but dropped by 5.18% in 2016 earning just above 40 billion dollars.Lastly , this country's least earning exports are agricultural products and textiles , with the first's earnings being a bit higher then 30 billion dollars and the second's being about 26 billion dollars in 2015 later increasing by 0.81% and and amazing 15.24% respectively in 2016.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and providing relevant comparisons. You have successfully highlighted the top earners and the least earning categories, and you have integrated the percentage change data effectively. However, the response is presented as a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of information. To reach a higher band, ensure you clearly group data points—perhaps by grouping categories that increased versus those that decreased—to provide a more analytical overview rather than just listing the figures. The summary is accurate, but it lacks a clear, distinct overview paragraph that synthesizes the main trends.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response lacks paragraphing, which is a significant issue for Task 1. A report should be structured with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. The flow of ideas is somewhat mechanical, relying on simple transitions like 'Not only that' and 'Lastly'. While the information is logically sequenced, the lack of paragraph breaks makes the text feel like a dense list rather than a cohesive report. To improve, you must organize your response into distinct paragraphs to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis, and use a wider variety of cohesive devices to link your sentences more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'earnings', 'export', and 'categories' appropriately. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'coming at' which is used repeatedly and sounds unnatural in this context. You also used 'the first's' and 'the second's', which is grammatically awkward. While you successfully incorporated specific data, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive. To improve, try to vary your verbs for describing trends, such as 'witnessed', 'experienced', or 'fluctuated', and ensure that your collocations are more precise to demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in punctuation and grammar. For example, there are missing spaces after commas (e.g., '2015.Not', 'that,but'), and the use of 'Which is a 3% increase' as a sentence fragment is grammatically incorrect. Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'an amazing 15.24%'. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors occur frequently enough to distract the reader. Focusing on sentence boundaries and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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