Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-14
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 chart represents the average comparison of country's exports in numerous sectors during the time period of 2015 and 2016. The second table demonstrates the change in percentage for each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Overall, the table illustrates the rise and run of various categories including: petroleum products, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textiles. It also shows total change in values from 2015 to 2016 that how much each product percentage increased or decreased.
On the one hand, the petroleum products rose by 3% from 60 billion to 63 billion. While, the export earning of engineered goods also increased upto 8% in one year.
On the other hand, the gems and jewellery export faced a small decline of 5.18% in their annual income. In contrast, the export value of agricultural products slighty crashed around 0.81% in one year. Moreover, the textile industry export was at dominance by increasing 15.24% and 8 billion in worth.
Therefore, every sector of exports contributed significantly to the nation's economy.
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 successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview and selecting key features from both the chart and the table. The student reports data for petroleum products, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products, and textiles. Key comparisons are made, such as highlighting the growth in textiles ('increasing 15.24% and 8 billion in worth') and contrasting it with the decline in gems and jewellery. While some specific figures could be integrated more comprehensively to present a fully balanced picture of all categories, the main features and trends are adequately identified, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 performance. The overview successfully captures the general direction of the data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is coherent overall with a clear logical arrangement divided into an introduction, overview, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories and trends ('On the one hand', 'On the other hand'). However, some cohesive devices feel slightly mechanical or are used with awkward phrasing, such as 'rise and run' instead of 'rise and fall', and 'Therefore' at the conclusion, which is not entirely logical as a deduction from descriptive data. Referencing and progression are generally clear, but paragraph transitions could be smoother to achieve a higher band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, including topic-specific terms like 'export earning', 'annual income', and 'nation's economy'. There are, however, several lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations. For instance, 'rise and run' is used instead of 'fluctuations' or 'rise and fall', 'upto' is written as one word, and phrases like 'slighty crashed' or 'was at dominance' are unnatural. Spelling is generally accurate, but word choices show limited flexibility, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category where vocabulary is adequate for the task despite noticeable infelicities.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. Examples include subordinate clauses such as 'While, the export earning of engineered goods also increased...'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including missing prepositions, awkward phrasing ('that how much each product percentage increased'), and fragment sentences ('While, the export earning...'). Punctuation is also slightly flawed with unnecessary commas after transition words. These errors do not impede overall communication, reflecting the characteristics of Band 6 grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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