Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-02

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 6.0)

The bar chart compares the export earnings from five different categories in 2015 and 2016, while the accompanying table shows the percentage change in values in the same period. Overall, the financial revenues from petroleum products, engineered goods, agricultural products, and textiles increased over the period, whereas it reduced only in gems and jewellery. In addition, earning from engineered goods experienced the the highest rise compared to the other categories.

Financial revenues from petroleum products and engineered goods was the highest in both years. In 2015, earning from petroleum products was $60 billion, rising slightly in 2016, a growth of 3%. The figure for engineered goods provided approximately $55 billion in 2016 and increased by 8.5% in 2016 to reach just over $60 billion, recording the highest percentage change.

By contrast, gems and jewellery fell by 5.15% over one year, declining from avout $43 billion in 2015 to $40 billion in 2016. Although the percentage change in revenue from textiles was highest (15.24%), it provided the lowest amount of money in 2015 at just over $20 billion and around $30 billion in 2016. By comparison, the agricultural products remained relatively stable around $32 billion in both years, recording a sligh growth in percentage at 0.81%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview of the charts and reporting the main features, such as the overall upward trend in most categories alongside the fall in gems and jewellery. However, some aspects are unevenly developed. For instance, the student states that earnings from engineered goods experienced the highest rise, but later correctly notes that textiles recorded the highest percentage change (15.24%), leading to a minor contradiction in the prioritization of data. While key figures are cited, such as petroleum products at $60 billion and textiles reaching $30 billion, certain data points contain inaccuracies when compared to the visual reference, such as misinterpreting the 2016 figure for engineered goods. To reach a higher band, the selection of data should be more precise, and the relationships between absolute values and percentage changes must be presented without internal contradictions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical arrangement of information. The essay is appropriately divided into an introduction, an overview, and distinct body paragraphs separating high-earning categories from fluctuating or lower-earning ones. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'By contrast' and 'Although', showing a clear attempt to connect ideas. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally become slightly mechanical or faulty, as seen in minor awkwardness when transitioning between absolute values and percentage changes. To achieve a higher band, referencing and paragraph-internal links need to be managed with greater fluency and precision, ensuring that transitions between sentences feel entirely natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'financial revenues', 'categories', 'percentage change', and 'relatively stable'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary items such as 'fluctuating' or specific economic terms, but these are accompanied by some word-choice and spelling errors, such as writing 'avout' instead of 'about', 'sligh' instead of 'slight', and using 'reduced' intransitively where 'declined' or 'decreased' would be more appropriate. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher standard. To improve, the student should focus on accurate word form, collocation, and careful proofreading to eliminate minor spelling slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory dependent clauses, such as 'while the accompanying table shows...' and 'Although the percentage change... was highest...'. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('earning from petroleum products and engineered goods was') and minor article misuse ('experienced the the highest rise'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and these errors rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the intended meaning. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to produce a greater proportion of error-free complex sentences and maintain tighter control over subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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