Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
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 revenue of petroleum and engineered products was maximum and the revenue 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 2015 and 2016. Petroleum products were sold at the rate of 60 billion dollars in 2015 and almost 58 billion dollars in 2016. Gems and jewellery had 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.
In 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 | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the task by describing the main features of both the bar chart and the table. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that 'petroleum and agricultural products were sold at the same rate of approximately 62 billion dollars', which contradicts the visual data showing petroleum at 61-63 billion and agricultural products at 31-31.5 billion. Furthermore, some trends described are confusing or contradictory. An overview is present in the second paragraph, but overall the task response suffers from noticeable data misinterpretation and lack of precise comparison, aligning closely with Band 5 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response is organized into four paragraphs, following a logical layout with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the chart and table. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'First', and 'In sharp contrast' are utilized to guide the reader through the text. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression is occasionally hindered by confusing statements. Reference words like 'While' and 'the latter' are not always used effectively, leading to a Band 6 level of coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for discussing economic data, including terms such as 'earnings', 'exports', 'percentage change', and 'revenue'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocations, such as 'sold at the rate of' instead of 'generated earnings of', and 'sale rate'. Less common vocabulary is attempted but often used with awkward phrasing or minor errors. Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary limitations place this response at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'While, in the table, textiles gained the highest percentage change...' and 'In sharp contrast to the bar chart, the table has textiles with...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the essay, including punctuation issues and awkward preposition usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur with sufficient frequency to prevent the essay from achieving a higher band, making Band 6 appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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