Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-27
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 displays 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 to 2015.
It is clear that exports earning on petroleum products were $60 billions in 2015 and 61 billion in 2016. Earning from engineered goods were lesser compared to petroleum products and it accounts to $57 billions in 2015 and $61 billions in 2016. Gems and jewellery exports were near to $43 billions in 2015 and in 2016 it comes $40 billions. Agricultural products records for near to $31 billion in 2015 and it has increased to $32 billions in 2016. Earning from textiles products accounts for $26 billions in 2015 and $31 billion in 2016.
Moreover, the table showcase the percentage change in values in [redacted phone]. Petroleum products records for 3 percent change, although engineered goods exports accounts lesser but the change in values is comperatively higher than petroleum products which is 8.5%. Only gems and jewellery has recorded a drop of 5.18% compared to last year, and agricultural products has recorded 0.81% of growth which is the lowest change. Textiles has recorded the highest change compared to last year which accounts for 15.24%.
To conclude, agricultural products has recorded the least change in value but textiles has accounted the highest change in the chart.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features from both the bar chart and the table. An overview is present at the beginning and end of the essay, outlining the key trends. The student selects relevant data, such as noting that petroleum products had the highest earnings in 2015 and that textiles experienced the highest percentage change (15.24%). However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reading the precise data points from the chart (for instance, stating petroleum products were $60 billions in 2015 when the chart shows 61). Despite these minor data discrepancies, the response covers all categories and provides adequate comparisons between years and categories, meeting the requirements of a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into four logical paragraphs: an introduction, a body paragraph covering the chart data, a body paragraph covering the table data, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'It is clear that', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude'. However, referencing and progression are occasionally mechanical or slightly repetitive in structure ('It is clear that', 'The table showcase', 'Petroleum products records'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two distinct visual sources of information. Overall, the essay maintains a coherent arrangement with clear logical progression throughout, warranting a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully utilizing terms related to data reporting such as 'category', 'percentage change', 'growth', and 'drop'. There are some awkward lexical choices and collocation errors, such as 'exports earning' instead of 'export earnings', 'records for' instead of 'stood at' or 'recorded', and 'comes $40 billions'. Spelling is generally accurate, though minor grammatical-lexical slips occur frequently. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points clearly, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conjunctions like 'although' and relative clauses. However, there are numerous grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Earning from engineered goods were', 'Gems and jewellery exports... in 2016 it comes'), tense inconsistencies ('showcase' instead of 'showcases', 'records for'), and preposition/article errors. While these errors do not impede communication and the reader can easily follow the intended meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5 or higher. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.
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