Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-24
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 charts illustrates export earnings in billions of dollars from 2015 to 2016, while the table represents comparison of changes occurred during 2015 and 2016 in percentage. Overall, earnings are divided in five categories and majority of export came from petroleum products followed by engineering goods. In contrast textiles showed highest increase during two years followed by engineered good s while least increase was shown by gems and jewelry.
The earnings peaked in petroleum products at 60 billion dollars in 2015 to 63 billions in 2016 showed 3 percent increase, followed by engineered goods 57 billions in 2015 then a slight rise during 2016 reaching 62 billions of dollars export had increase by 8.5 percent, there is substantially fall in export for rest of three comparatively. gems and jewellery made earning of around 43 billion dollars in 2015 and was only one category showed decline of 5 percent 41 billion dollars 2016. however agriculture showed very low changes during two ears and remained constant at around 32 billions dollars earning. Additionally textiles was unique because it has highest growth 15.2 percent, initially earning around 26 billion dollars to dramatic rise at 31 billion dollars.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of the main features and reporting key data points from both the bar chart and the table. Figures are generally accurate, such as noting petroleum products at 61 billion dollars in 2015 and 63 billion in 2016, along with correct percentage changes like the 15.2% growth for textiles and a decrease for gems and jewellery. However, the overview is somewhat basic and the grouping of ideas lacks complete clarity. While the core features are present, the support and extension could be slightly more polished to reach a higher band. Overall, it satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to organise information logically, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body details. However, paragraphing is weak—the entire second half of the response is lumped into one very long, dense paragraph. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in run-on sentences and punctuation issues (e.g. starting clauses with 'however' or 'additionally' without proper clause separation). Referencing is occasionally unclear, which disrupts the smooth progression of ideas. This performance aligns with Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'earnings', 'percentage change', 'remained constant', and 'decline'. Less common vocabulary is attempted, such as 'substantially fall' (though grammatically incorrect) and 'dramatic rise'. There are several noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'the charts illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), 'comparatively' used awkwardly, and 'very low changes during two ears' instead of 'years'. Vocabulary is minimally adequate and communication is generally maintained despite errors, placing this in the Band 5.5 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('charts illustrates'), missing auxiliary verbs ('was only one category showed'), incorrect word forms ('two ears' instead of years), and run-on sentences that lack proper punctuation (e.g. connecting multiple independent clauses with commas). While simple statements are mostly understandable, complex structures are frequently faulty and cause some difficulty for the reader. This corresponds to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.