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 changes in the value of a particular country's exports in various categories, including petroleum products, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products, and textiles, between 2015 and 2016.

Overall, it is evident that the figures varied considerably across the categories, with some recording substantially higher figures, while another registered the lowest figures. Petroleum products and engineered goods recorded the highest values in the first year, whereas textiles recorded a noticeably lower figure in the final year. Meanwhile, the figure for agricultural products remained relatively similar during the given period.

Looking at the detail, in 2015, petroleum products recorded a noticeably higher figure, at just over $61 billion. Thereafter, engineered goods reported the second-highest figure, at nearly $56 billion in the first year. Moreover, textiles recorded the lowest figure,  at around $26 billion in 2015.

Looking most closely at the data, in 2016, petroleum products and engineered goods recorded considerably higher figures, at slightly above $62 billion.  Gems and jewellery represented the second-highest figure, at approximately $41 billion in the final year. However, the figure for agricultural products and textiles were virtually identical, at roughly $31 billion and $32 billion, in 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by outlining the main features of the export earnings chart, but it suffers from significant data inaccuracies that prevent it from achieving a higher band. For instance, the student states that engineered goods were at nearly $56 billion in 2015, whereas the actual figure was 57, and claims that petroleum products and engineered goods were both at slightly above $62 billion in 2016, when in fact petroleum was 63 and engineered goods was 62. Furthermore, the overview is somewhat vague, referring to categories simply as 'some' or 'another' rather than clearly identifying the key trends, and the table's percentage changes are largely omitted from the analysis. To move higher, the response must accurately report specific data points from the visual material and provide a clearer, more comprehensive summary of the key comparisons and trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organization, which fully satisfies the requirements of the band while showing features of the next. The text is divided into appropriate paragraphs, starting with an introduction, moving to an overview, and then detailing specific data in subsequent paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', and 'Thereafter' are used to structure the ideas, though referencing is occasionally mechanical or repetitive (e.g., the recurring use of 'Looking at the detail' and 'Looking most closely at the data'). Paragraphing is handled well, but to achieve a higher score, the logical transitions between sentences and paragraphs need to be smoother and more varied, avoiding formulaic signposting.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic comparisons and categories such as 'petroleum products', 'agricultural products', and 'substantially higher figures'. The student attempts some less common phrasing, such as 'recorded a noticeably higher figure' and 'virtually identical', showing an awareness of style. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, as well as minor imprecisions in reporting data trends. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of sophisticated, less common lexical items with precise control over collocation and style, while entirely eliminating awkward phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response displays a strong control of grammar, easily meeting the criteria for this band and showing a good variety of complex structures. The writer successfully uses subordinate clauses and participial phrases, such as 'including petroleum products, engineered goods...' and 'while another registered the lowest figures'. There are frequent error-free sentences throughout the text, and punctuation is handled accurately. A minor flaw is found in a subject-verb agreement slip ('the figure for agricultural products and textiles were'), but overall, the grammatical accuracy is high. To attain an even higher band, the writer would need to employ a wider range of complex structures consistently with rare minor slips.

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

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