Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-11
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)
The bar chart illustrates the information of one country's exports which is categorised in different salary brackets during 2015 and 2016. The table represents the change in values in each categories in 2016 compared with 2015 data.
Overall, it is evident from the bar graph that petrolium products have the highest turnover compare to all. From the table, top leading change was observed in the textiles values.
In 2015 and 2016, petroleum products have equal profits, arround 60$ billions. The values got increased by 3%. Followed by, engineered goods have rose significantly in one year. It has shifted from 55$ billions in 2015 to arround 62$ billions in 2016. It climbed the value of 8.5%.
Gems and jewellery has seen significant drop in the profit. It has dropped by 5.18% and arrived at approximately 42% in the year 2016. Agricultural has not changed it remained at 30$ billions and got rose by 0.81$. The least profit was gained by textiles. It gained 15.24% and climbed at arround 32$ billions in 2016.
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, including the values for 2015 and 2016 and the percentage changes. However, there are significant inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, the student states petroleum products had 'equal profits' in both years, despite the chart showing a clear increase, and incorrectly identifies the percentage change for agricultural goods as 0.81$ rather than 0.81%. Furthermore, the description of 'salary brackets' is incorrect, as the chart refers to export categories. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting figures and the misinterpretation of the chart's purpose limit the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific categories. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In 2015 and 2016', and 'Followed by', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Followed by, engineered goods have rose'. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the lack of sophisticated linking between the bar chart data and the table data prevents a higher score. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the data.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as using 'profits' instead of 'export values' or 'turnover', and 'salary brackets' instead of 'export categories'. Spelling errors like 'petrolium' and 'arround' are present. The student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'turnover', 'percentage change'), but the overall range is limited, and the misuse of terms occasionally impacts the clarity of the report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and forms, such as 'have rose' (should be 'has risen') and 'got rose'. Punctuation and currency formatting are also inconsistent, such as '60$ billions' (should be '$60 billion'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and the student struggles with subject-verb agreement and correct prepositional usage throughout the text.
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