Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-25
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 5.0)
The bar chart illustrates the earnings in exports of a country in different categories from 2015 to 2016. In contrast, the table shows the percentage change in values of exports in 2015 as compared to 2016.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that the buying rate of petroleum and engineered products was maximum and the sale rate of textiles and agricultural products was minimum in the bar chart after declining. While, in the table, textiles gained the highest percentage change and agricultural products occupied the lowest percentage change in values.
First, in the bar chart, petroleum and agricultural products were sold at the same rate of approximately 62 billion dollars in both years 2016. Petroleum products were sale at the rate of 60 billion dollars in 2015 and almost 58 billion dollars in 2016. Gems and jewellery have earning of 40 billion dollars in 2016 and 42 billion dollars in 2015. Agricultural products again met almost the same percentage of sale rate with 30 billion dollars. Textiles' earning was near,26 billion dollars in 2015 and 31 billion dollars in 2016.
On sharp contrast to the bar chart, the table has textiles with the highest percentage change of 15.24%. Engineered products came second with 8.5% and gems and jewellery became third with 5.18%. Petroleum products met only 3% change in values. Agriculture products stood at the last position with 0.185 change in its values.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover all parts of the task by reporting information from both the bar chart and the table. However, there are numerous data inaccuracies and factual misreadings compared to the source material. For instance, the student states that 'petroleum and agricultural products were sold at the same rate of approximately 62 billion dollars', which contradicts the charts where agricultural products stood at 31 billion dollars in 2015 and 31.5 billion dollars in 2016. Furthermore, the overview is somewhat confused, and the data selection lacks precision. While the main features are touched upon, the significant number of factual errors regarding the figures pulls the score down into the Band 5.0 range.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is divided into four paragraphs, following a logical structure of introduction, overview, bar chart details, and table details. Cohesive devices are attempted (e.g., 'Overall', 'First', 'On sharp contrast'), but some transitions are unnatural or inaccurate, such as 'While, in the table' and 'On sharp contrast to the bar chart'. Paragraphing is used, but the overall progression feels somewhat mechanical, and referencing between sentences occasionally lacks clarity. This level of organization and cohesive control aligns with Band 5.5 or Band 6.0 descriptors; given the occasional awkwardness in transitions, a 5.5 is appropriate.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms such as 'earnings in exports', 'percentage change', and 'category'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing throughout the text, such as 'buying rate', 'sale rate', and 'gems and jewellery have earning of 40 billion dollars'. There is also a factual miswriting of the percentage change for agricultural products at the end ('0.185 change' instead of 0.81%). These errors in word choice and data transcription restrict the score to Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is quite inconsistent. There are several tense and verb form errors, such as 'Petroleum products were sale at the rate' instead of 'sold', and mixing past and present tenses incongruously ('Gems and jewellery have earning... in 2016 and 42 billion dollars in 2015'). Preposition errors also occur frequently. While the meaning is generally decipherable, the frequency of errors places this response firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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