Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-10

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 6.0)

The given bar graph depicts the export earnings of multiple categories such as petroleum products, engineered goods, agricultural products, textiles, gems and jewellery in a country and the table illustrates the values changed between them over the period of a year from 2015.

Overall, textiles and engineered goods had seen the significant increment compared to other categories, meanwhile gems and jewellery was the sole category for the decreased export earnings.

To begin with, on the one hand engineered goods, petroleum goods and textiles had largest growth ratio in one year span from 61 to 63 billion dollars, $56 to $62 billion and 26 to 32 billion dollars. However, on the other hand export earnings of gems and jewellery dropped severely from $44 to $41 billions between 2015 and 2016.

Additionally, the percentage changes of petroleum goods and engineered goods upgraded by 3% and 8.5%. The ratio of gems and jewellery degraded by 5.18 percentage. And a slight growth of 0.81 percent had been seen in agricultural products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all categories and provides a clear overview of the main trends. You successfully identified the growth in textiles and engineered goods and the decline in gems and jewellery. However, the data reporting is slightly inaccurate; for instance, you mention engineered goods grew from 61 to 63 billion, but the chart shows different figures. Additionally, the distinction between the bar chart (values) and the table (percentage change) is handled, but the integration of these two data sources could be more precise. To reach a higher band, ensure that the data points cited strictly match the provided visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'To begin with', 'on the one hand', and 'Additionally' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced, such as the repetitive use of 'on the one hand' and 'on the other hand' within the same paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the general overview to specific data points. Improving the variety of linking phrases would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'export earnings', 'categories', 'increment', and 'degraded'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'growth ratio' instead of 'growth rate' and 'upgraded' to describe a percentage increase, which is not standard in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Focusing on more academic collocations related to data description would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'had seen the significant increment' (should be 'saw a significant increase') and 'the sole category for the decreased export earnings' (should be 'the only category to experience a decrease'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are occasionally inconsistent. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on tense consistency—specifically using the past simple for data from 2015/2016—will improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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