Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)
The chart illustrates the value of one country's exports during 2015 and 2016 in five categories: petroleum products, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textiles, while the table shows the percentage change in each category over the period.
Overall, petroleum products and engineered goods generated the highest export earnings among all five categories in both years. Gems and jewellery had the third-largest percentage followed by agricultural products and textiles which had the smallest proportions over the two years. Textiles had the largest percentage change in values over the two years while agricultural products varied much less over the same period.
Textiles experienced a significant increase of 15.24% between 2015 and 2016. Similarly, engineered goods rose over the period with a change of 8.5%.
In contrast, gems and jewellery experienced a decline of 5.18% in the same period. Petroleum products increased slightly from a percentage of 61% in 2015 to 64% in 2016 with a change of 3%. Agricultural products, however, remained almost stable with a change of 0.81%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons across the provided categories. The overview clearly highlights that petroleum products and engineered goods generated the highest export earnings while noting trends such as textiles having the largest percentage change. Key data points, such as the 15.24% increase in textiles and the 5.18% decline in gems and jewellery, are accurately reported and contrasted. However, there is a minor misinterpretation in the petroleum description where the student mentions a 'percentage of 61% in 2015 to 64% in 2016' rather than absolute monetary values, which slightly affects precision. Despite this, the response is well-developed, covers all categories, and provides a clear summary of the data presented in the visual prompts.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The response exhibits a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped sensibly into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and detailed body paragraphs that break down the statistical data effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Similarly', and 'In contrast' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the comparisons and contrasts between 2015 and 2016. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively, with each paragraph serving a distinct purpose in summarizing and reporting the data. Referencing is generally clear, ensuring that the relationships between categories, values, and percentage changes remain easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, incorporating terms such as 'generated', 'proportions', 'experience a significant increase', and 'remain almost stable'. Less common lexical items and collocations are attempted, such as 'export earnings' and 'percentage change', showing an awareness of style appropriate for describing data. While word choice is generally accurate, there are occasional slightly awkward phrasings, such as referring to petroleum products in terms of percentages rather than values. Nevertheless, spelling is accurate throughout, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning with clarity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
The student uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses like 'while the table shows' and participial phrases effectively. There is a frequent occurrence of error-free sentences, demonstrating good overall control of grammar and punctuation. Sentences such as 'Textiles experienced a significant increase of 15.24% between 2015 and 2016' and 'Agricultural products, however, remained almost stable with a change of 0.81%' are structurally sound and grammatically accurate. Minor errors are absent or extremely rare, meaning grammar does not impede communication in any way and supports a strong band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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