Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-06
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 bar and table chart illustrates the value of one country's exports in billions, with five different categories between 2015 and 2016. At a glance, the value of agricultural products remained unchanged in both years.
From the bar graph, the value of export earnings in petroleum products was around $61 billion in 2015, which was the prominent category, in the next year the export rose steady to $62 billion. Engineered goods was export over $56 billion, in 2016 it increased to $61 billion. Gems and jewellery and agricultural goods were the export earning category which was seen not remained constant earnings in the two years. Lastly, the total earnings by textiles sector were $26 billion, it increased significantly $31 billion in 2016.
Regarding table, it demonstrated how much the categories increased throughout the years. Petroleum products, gems and jewellery and agricultural products were the least or marginally fluctuated categories. Eventually, engineered goods and textiles stood at the highest export earnings.
Overall, it is evident that four sectors were the least sectors in terms of export earnings, while textiles were rose substantially.
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 the main features of the data, such as the rise in petroleum and engineered goods. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the claim that agricultural products remained unchanged is contradicted by the table, which shows a 2% change. Furthermore, the description of the data is occasionally inaccurate; you state that gems and jewellery did not remain constant, yet the table shows a 1% change, which is a marginal fluctuation. To reach a higher band, ensure that your summary of the data is precise and that you clearly distinguish between the bar chart (values) and the table (percentage changes) to provide a more comprehensive overview.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief overview. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Regarding table, it demonstrated...' and 'Eventually, engineered goods...'. The transition between the bar chart data and the table data could be smoother. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated linking words makes the flow feel a bit disjointed. Improving the variety of cohesive devices would help the response move more fluidly between points.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'prominent category', 'remained constant', and 'increased significantly'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the export rose steady' (should be 'steadily') and 'textiles were rose substantially' (should be 'rose substantially'). Additionally, some phrasing is repetitive, particularly the use of 'export' and 'earnings'. To improve, focus on using more precise adverbs and ensuring that your word forms (nouns vs. verbs) are used correctly in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow, such as 'Engineered goods was export over $56 billion' (subject-verb agreement and missing preposition) and 'Regarding table, it demonstrated' (missing article). There are also issues with tense consistency and sentence fragments, such as 'it increased significantly $31 billion'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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