Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-20

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 bar graph illustrates a country's exports in different categories over an interval of two years from 2015 to 2016. The table, on the other hand provides data for the percentage change in values of these categories over the same time interval.

Overall, petroleum products remained the top export category followed by engineered goods while Textiles have experienced an exceptional change in value along with engineered goods.

Petroleum products, Engineered goods and Textiles have gained higher exports in 2016 compared to 2015 which is from 61 to 63 billion $, 56 to 62 billion $ and 27 to 32 billion $. In contrast, Gems and jewellery has lost its export over the years from 43 billion $ to 41 billion $. Interestingly, Agricultural products exports remained constant at 32 billion $.

However, Textiles,Engineered goods, Petroleum products and Agricultural products experienced positive change in their values like 15.24%, 8.5%, 3% and 0.81% respectively. Only Gems and jewellery have seen a decline in value at the rate of 5.18%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both the bar graph and the table. An adequate overview is provided, highlighting petroleum products as the top export and noting the notable changes in textiles and engineered goods. Key data points are correctly selected and compared, such as the initial and final values in 2015 and 2016 and the percentage changes. Although there are minor inaccuracies in exact figures read from the chart (for instance, stating engineered goods went from 56 to 62 instead of 57 to 62, and agricultural products at 32 instead of 31.5), these fall well within acceptable tolerances for visual data interpretation. The response satisfies all core requirements of Task 1 effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response has a clear logical organisation, beginning with a standard introductory paraphrase, followed by an overview paragraph, and concluding with body paragraphs detailing the categories and percentage changes. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'Interestingly'. However, the paragraphing is slightly fragmented, and the transition between sentences could be smoother in places. Referencing is mostly clear, though some grouping of data could be structured more cohesively to enhance the flow of comparisons between the bar chart and the table.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, incorporating terms such as 'interval', 'category', 'exception change', 'constant', and 'decline'. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'exception change' and 'positive change', though word choice is occasionally awkward or imprecise (e.g., 'lost its export over the years' instead of 'experienced a decline in export earnings'). Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably in the band 6 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used throughout the response, including relative clauses and comparative constructions (e.g., 'The bar graph illustrates a country's exports in different categories over an interval of two years from 2015 to 2016'). There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'the table, on the other hand provides data' (missing punctuation) and 'Textiles,Engineered goods' (spacing error). However, the majority of simple sentences are error-free, and the grammatical errors present do not impede overall communication, supporting a solid band 6 score.

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