Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12
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 6.5)
the chart illustrates the value of one country's exports in various categories during a period between 2015 and 2016. The table compares the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Overall, petroleum products remained the category with the highest export value in both years, while textiles remained the lowest. In addition, agriculture and textiles had the same export value in 2015. Engineering goods were the second-highest category, while gems and jewellery ranked in the middle.
Regarding the percentage changes, Textiles had a considerable increase of 15.24%, while agricultural products the lowest percentage change of 0.81%. Petroleum products and engineered goods had a slight increase between 2015 and 2016 with 3% and 8.5%, respectively. By contrast, agricultural products were the only category that had a gradual decrease over the period with 5.18%.
Moving on to export earnings, petroleum products had a considerable amount of export earnings in both years 2015 and 2016 with approximately 61 and 63 billion in sales, while textiles remained lowest category with export earnings of approximately 23 and 31 billion, respectively. Gems and jewellery as well as agriculture products and engineered goods had great export earnings of 43 and 41 billion, 31 and 33 billion, 56 and 62 billion between the years 2015 and 2016, respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided a clear overview. You included data from both the chart and the table, which is essential for a high score. However, there is a significant factual error in your analysis: you state that agricultural products had a 'gradual decrease' of 5.18%, whereas the table indicates a positive percentage change (or a different category entirely). Additionally, some of your data reporting is slightly confusing, particularly when grouping multiple categories together in the final paragraph. To improve, ensure that your data points are accurately transcribed from the source material and that comparisons are clearly linked to specific categories.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Regarding', and 'By contrast' to guide the reader. However, the transition between the third and fourth paragraphs is slightly repetitive, as you revisit export earnings after having already discussed the categories. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow could be improved by integrating the percentage change data more seamlessly with the absolute values rather than separating them into distinct, sometimes disjointed, sections. Referencing is generally clear, though the final paragraph becomes slightly cluttered with too many figures.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'highest export value', 'considerable increase', and 'ranked in the middle' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with collocation and precision, such as 'great export earnings', which is not the most natural academic phrasing. You also repeat the word 'category' and 'export earnings' frequently. To reach a higher band, try to vary your vocabulary by using synonyms like 'revenue', 'figures', 'sector', or 'commodity' to avoid repetition and demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'While petroleum products remained... textiles remained the lowest'. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'agricultural products the lowest percentage change' (missing a verb) and 'textiles remained lowest category' (missing an article). Additionally, the phrasing 'between the years 2015 and 2016, respectively' is slightly awkward when applied to a list of multiple items. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching the higher bands where error-free sentences are the norm.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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