Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-30
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 following graph represents export earnings of a country in different fields and compares them from 2015 to 2016.
Firstly, Petroleum products are the most profitable as compared to other industries they were worth 60 billion in 2015 and later on there was a 3 % increase in this value.
Secondly, Engineering products leads to an earnings of more than 50 billion less than petroleum in 2015 but in 2016 this value increased by 8.5% making it almost equal to petroleum.
Thirdly, gems and jewellery used to contribute more than 40 billion in 2015 but unfortunately there was a decrease in this value by 5.18%.
In the last place are agriculture and textile products in 2015 agriculture products were leading with an earnings of 30 billion while textiles were lagging at roughly about 25 billion but in 2016 both became equal valuing more than 30 billion. This shows an increase of 0.81% in the profits of agriculture but textiles caught up to it with an increase of a massive 15.24%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all categories and identifies the main trends, such as the growth in petroleum and the decline in gems and jewellery. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the description of engineering products as 'more than 50 billion less than petroleum' is confusing and mathematically inaccurate based on the provided chart. The report would benefit from a clearer overview paragraph that highlights the most significant trends at the beginning. While the key features are selected, the comparison between categories could be more precise to better reflect the data provided in the table and chart.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response uses basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Thirdly' to structure the paragraphs. While this provides a logical flow, the transition between ideas feels somewhat mechanical. The paragraphing is also problematic; the entire body of the report is contained within a single block of text, which hinders readability. To improve, you should group related information into distinct paragraphs—for instance, one for the highest-earning categories and another for the lower-earning ones—and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on simple descriptors like 'profitable', 'increase', and 'decrease'. There are also some awkward phrasings, such as 'leads to an earnings' and 'lagging at roughly about'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations related to data reporting, such as 'experienced a marginal growth', 'witnessed a significant downturn', or 'remained relatively stable'. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and adverbs will help you describe the trends with greater nuance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, 'Engineering products leads to an earnings' contains a subject-verb agreement error. Additionally, the sentence 'In the last place are agriculture and textile products in 2015 agriculture products were leading...' is a run-on sentence that lacks proper punctuation. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of control over complex sentence structures and punctuation errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and sentence boundaries will improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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