Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-06

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 given bar graph depicts the information about a country's exports in various categories during the year 2015 and 2016 respectively. The x-axis and y-axis represent product category and dollars in billion. The y-axis number increases in the scale difference of 10. The year 2015 is highlighted with darker shade and 2016 is highlighted with lighter shade. The first category that is taken into consideration is petroleum products, It raises over 60 billion dollars in 2015. Additionally, the petroleum products is found to be increased more than 60 billion dollars in 2016. Secondly, engineering goods also gets increased in 2016 than in 2015. The other three categories are gems and jewellery, agricultural products and textiles. Their number fluctuates substancially. The raise in agricultural products looks more or less same in both the years. The gems and jewellery category shows increase in 2015, whereas in 2016, there is a critical decline in the number that lies around 40 billion dollars.

The table below the graph shows illustrates the statistical information about the graph. It is evident that except the gems and jewellery, all other categories shows raised values between the years 2015 and 2016. The table demonstrates the excat numbers of the categories with petroleum products showing three percent increase, engineering goods with 8.5 percet raise, agricultural products with 0.81 percent enhancement. Lastly, textiles with massive increase of 15.24 percent increase. A major drawback is that gems and jewellery shows a notable decline in number with 5.18 percent .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially, presenting a somewhat mechanical and limited overview of the visual data. While the student attempts to report on all categories shown in the graph and table, the treatment of the information is uneven and contains inaccuracies. For instance, the student states that the gems and jewellery category shows an increase in 2015 and a decline in 2016, whereas the graph clearly displays the figures for both 2015 and 2016 side by side. Furthermore, the description of trends relies heavily on vague statements such as 'their number fluctuates substantially' without providing sufficient extension or clear comparison of the main features. To reach a higher level, the writer should ensure that data points are accurately interpreted from the charts and that key features, such as overall export rankings and specific comparative changes between the two years, are fully developed rather than superficially listed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, and information and ideas are generally presented with a logical flow, earning a solid mid-level score. Paragraphing is utilized, with an introductory paragraph describing the visual elements, a body paragraph covering the main categories from the graph, and a concluding section addressing the table. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transition phrases like 'The first category that is taken into consideration is' and 'The table below the graph shows illustrates' feel heavy-handed and repetitive. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as when referring broadly to 'their number' or 'the graph' when discussing the combined charts. To progress further, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure smoother, more natural transitions between sentences and paragraphs without relying on formulaic expressions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing a minimally sufficient range to communicate basic information about the export categories. The student attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'fluctuates', 'substancially', 'enhancement', and 'notable decline', but these attempts are marred by spelling mistakes and occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'raises over 60 billion dollars' is used instead of 'reaches' or 'stands at', and 'excats numbers' contains a spelling error. The misspelling of 'substantially' and 'percent' also detracts from the overall lexical control. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary, improve spelling accuracy, and demonstrate a more precise control of word forms and collocations when discussing numerical and statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as relative clauses and subordinate clauses. However, there is a limited range of grammatical structures overall, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. Frequent errors in grammar and punctuation occur throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'the petroleum products is found' and 'all other categories shows', as well as awkward phrasing like 'gets increased'. Punctuation errors also appear, such as unnecessary commas and spacing issues before periods. Although these errors rarely impede overall communication, they are frequent enough to restrict the score at this level. To improve, the student should focus on eliminating basic agreement errors, refining verb forms in passive and active voice, and increasing the variety and accuracy of complex sentence patterns.

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

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