Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-01

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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates the value of a country's exports in five categories in 2015 and 2016, while the table shows the percentage change in export earnings between the two years.

Overall, it is evident that petroleum products and engineered goods generated the highest income in both years, whereas textiles had the lowest earnings in 2015. The most significant percentage increase was seen in textiles.

In 2015, petroleum products were worth approximately $61 billion, a slight rose can be seen in 2016 to around $63 billion. Similarly, earnings from engineered goods grew from about $57 billion to $62 billion. By contrast, textiles experienced the rapid growth from $27 billion in 2015 to $31 billion in 2016.

According to the table, textiles showed the strongest growth during the period which is 15.24% percentage change in values as compared to the petroleum products and engineered goods which was 3% and 8.5% respectively. The minimum value changes can be observed in agricultural products 0.81%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by summarizing the main features of both the bar chart and the table, and makes relevant comparisons between categories. The overview correctly highlights the highest-earning categories and the fastest-growing sector. However, some parts are more fully developed than others; for instance, the analysis of specific figures tends to list data points rather than fully synthesising the broader trends across both years. While key data such as petroleum products and textiles are reported accurately, minor details like the starting point for textiles ($27 billion instead of $26 billion) contain slight inaccuracies. To reach a higher band, the response would need to provide a more thorough integration of the data from both visual prompts with consistent accuracy.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from an introductory paraphrase to an overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing the chart and table data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the visual data. Cohesive devices are generally present, such as 'Overall', 'In 2015', and 'According to the table', helping to guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel mechanical or slightly abrupt, as seen in the transition into the final paragraph. To achieve a higher standard, the flow between sentences could be smoothed out by employing a wider variety of advanced cohesive links without over-relying on basic time markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying numerical data and trends using terms such as 'generated the highest income', 'percentage increase', and 'earnings'. The student attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'significant percentage increase' and 'minimum value changes', demonstrating an acceptable range. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'experienced the rapid growth' and 'strongest growth during the period which is 15.24% percentage change'. Spelling and word choices generally do not impede communication. To move up, the writer should incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of sophisticated vocabulary to describe statistical changes naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases effectively. There are several error-free sentences, particularly in the opening paragraphs. However, a number of grammatical errors persist throughout the text, such as 'a slight rose can be seen' (incorrect verb form), missing prepositions, and run-on structures like 'during the period which is 15.24% percentage change in values as compared to the petroleum products and engineered goods which was 3% and 8.5% respectively'. Despite these issues, the punctuation and grammar rarely impede communication. To attain a higher band, the writer must exercise greater control over complex sentence structures and eliminate basic tense or word-formation errors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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