Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-19
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 below shows the value of one country's exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016 and the table shows the percentage change in each categoriy of exports in 2026 compared with 2015.
The overall export increased in all categories in 2016 except for the gems and jewellery which decreased in 2016.
Firstly, the export of petroleum products was worth 61 billion and then it increased to around 63 billion. Similarly, the export in engineered goods was also increased from around 56 billion to 61 billion. The agricultural products exportation also grew slightly in 2016.
But the textiles industry export surged from around 26 billion to 31 billion, which showed the high fluctuation as compared to others.
In contrast, the gems and jewellery exportation declined in the next year from previous one in almost 1-2 billion.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the prompt by summarising the main features of the chart and table, noting values and percentage changes. However, there are notable factual inaccuracies: the student claims that all categories increased except gems and jewellery, missing agricultural products (which also increased), and incorrectly states that gems and jewellery decreased by 1-2 billion (it fell by 5.18%, which is around 2 billion, but the overview is slightly imprecise). Furthermore, the response contains a typo in the introduction ("2026" instead of "2016"). Crucially, the response is 137 words long, failing the 150-word minimum requirement, which leads to a downward adjustment in Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, starting with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs discussing specific categories. However, the progression is somewhat disjointed due to abrupt transitions like "Firstly," followed by loose sequencing. Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, such as "then," "similarly," and "in contrast." Paragraphing is also affected by the very short length of the text, with several single-sentence paragraphs that fragment the flow of information. While an overall direction is discernible, the lack of sophisticated cohesive control keeps this criterion at Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The lexical range is limited and adequate for basic task reporting. The student uses repetitive vocabulary such as "export," "value," and "increase" ("increased," "increasing"). There is a spelling error in the introduction ("categoriy") and awkward phrasing such as "agricultural products exportation." Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success ("high fluctuation," though textiles did not fluctuate up and down, they simply grew). Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey basic meaning but lacks precision and flexibility, meriting a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as "The overall export increased in all categories in 2016 except for the gems and jewellery which decreased in 2016." Grammatical errors occur, including passive/active confusion or missing prepositions ("the export in engineered goods was also increased" should be active "increased"), and awkward phrasing ("declined in the next year from previous one in almost 1-2 billion"). However, these errors do not severely impede communication. The range of structures is somewhat restricted, leading to a solid Band 5.5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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