Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-07

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 given bar chart and table compare the export earnings of five products in 2015 and 2016.

Overall, export earnings increased for all products in 2016 compared with 2015, except for gems and jewellery. Textiles experienced the largest percentage increase, while agricultural products showed the smallest growth.

To begin with, petrolium products generated $63 billion in export earnings in 2016, compared with around $61 billion in 2015. Almost $62 billion was earned from the export of engineering goods in 2016, whereas this figure was about $57 billion in 2015. Similiarly gems and jewellery generated approximately $41 billion in 2016, compared with about $43 billion in 2015, which was declined.

Moreover, agriculture products remained relatively stable, increasing slightly about $31 billion in 2015 to approximately $32 billion in 2016. Finally, textiles experienced the largest increase, rising from about $25 billion in 2015 to around $30 billion in 2016, which represented a growth of 15.24%.

Looking at the table, textiles had the highest percentage increase of 15.24%, followed by engineered goods at 8.5%. Petroleum products increased by 3%, while agricultural products showed a very small rise of 0.81%. In contrast, gems and jewellery decreased by 5.18%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response identifies the main pattern accurately: most categories rose, gems and jewellery fell, and textiles had the strongest percentage growth while agriculture changed least. It also supports these points with relevant figures, including petroleum at about $61–63 billion and textiles’ 15.24% increase. This gives the report a clear overview and covers both the chart and table. However, the overview says earnings increased for all products except gems, while the body describes agriculture as relatively stable; stating more precisely that agriculture was almost unchanged would avoid overgeneralising. Some comparisons could also be developed more clearly, particularly that petroleum remained the highest-earning category in both years and that textiles overtook agriculture by 2016. The key features are covered, but not all are equally developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs reporting the figures and percentage changes. Sequencing expressions such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the categories, and the contrast between rising exports and the decline in gems is easy to understand. However, the final paragraph repeats several percentage changes already mentioned or implied in the body, so the progression is somewhat mechanical rather than consistently economical. The transition “Looking at the table” also makes the report feel as though it is restarting instead of drawing the chart and table together. Grouping the largest earners and the smaller categories, then integrating the table figures where relevant, would make the comparisons flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the data, with useful terms such as “export earnings,” “generated,” “remained relatively stable,” and “percentage increase.” The writer also uses comparison language to distinguish rises from the fall in gems and jewellery. Some spelling and word-choice slips reduce precision, including “petrolium,” “Similiarly,” and “engineering goods” where the chart labels the category “engineered goods.” “Which was declined” is also an awkward choice of expression. Repeated use of “increased,” “generated,” and “about” limits flexibility, although the meaning remains clear. More accurate category names and a wider set of natural reporting verbs and comparison phrases would strengthen the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most information is understandable. Comparisons using “compared with” and clauses introduced by “whereas” and “while” show some structural variety. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “increasing slightly about $31 billion,” the construction needs a preposition and a clearer comparison, such as “increasing slightly from about $31 billion.” The phrase “which was declined” has an incorrect verb form; use “which declined” or “a decrease.” In “Similiarly gems and jewellery,” a comma is needed after the introductory adverb. These issues do not prevent understanding, but checking verb forms, sentence links, and punctuation would improve accuracy and control.

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