Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-08

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 compares the value of distinct categories namely Petroleum products, Engineering goods, Gems and Jewellery, Agricultural products and Textiles that are exported by one country in 2015 and 2016 while the table shows the percentage of each category exported in 2016 and 2015.

Overall, in 2016, Petroleum products and engineering goods cover the highest export value while Textile industry accounted for least value in 2015. In terms of table, Textiles represented the highest percentage of export earning whereas the revenue of Gems and Jewellery falls significantly.

On the one hand, in 2016, the export value of Petroleum products was slightly higher, at around $62 billion, compared with $61 billion in 2015. Furthermore, the revenue of Engineering goods rose significantly, from approximately $57 billion in 2015 to $61 billion. Moreover, Agricultural products accounted almost same export revenue in 2015 and 2016, which was around $31 billion and $32 billion. The earning from textiles increased slightly, from approximately $27 billion in 2015 to $31 billion in 2016. Lastly, the export value drop minimally, from around $43 billion in 2015 to $40 billion in 2016 respectively.

In terms of table, the percentage of textiles increased significantly with 15.24% while petroleum products rose up to 3% while the export value of Engineering goods climbed to about 8.5%. Agricultural products slightly grew to 0.81%. Lastly, the revenue of Gems and Jewellery decreased gradually to 5.18%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover both the chart and the table, and your overview identifies the leading categories and the strongest percentage rise. Several comparisons are also supported with figures, such as petroleum products at about $61–62 billion and textiles rising from roughly $27 billion to $31 billion. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: textiles were the lowest category in 2015, but not in 2016, when gems and jewellery were lower; the latter fell from about $43 billion to $41 billion, rather than $40 billion. The overview’s claim that this revenue “falls significantly” also overstates a 5.18% decline. To strengthen the response, make the overview more precise and ensure each category’s direction and relative position are reported consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph describing the chart, and a final paragraph covering the table. This makes the main information easy to locate, and sequencing within the chart paragraph is generally clear. However, the repeated transitions “Furthermore,” “Moreover,” “Lastly,” and “In terms of table” make the linking somewhat mechanical. The phrase “On the one hand” also suggests a contrast or a second side that is not developed. Some references are unclear, particularly “the export value drop minimally,” where the category is not named. Grouping the main increases together and then contrasting them with the decline would create a more purposeful progression, while clearer references would help cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “export value,” “revenue,” “increased,” “rose,” and “decreased,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “accounted for” and “represented.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural: “the percentage of each category exported” confuses the percentage change in value with the share exported, and “cover the highest export value” is not a natural collocation. “Falls significantly” overstates the modest decline, while “rose up to 3%” can imply a final value rather than a percentage change. Aim for precise terms such as “percentage change,” “export earnings,” and “recorded a decline,” and avoid varying vocabulary when the alternatives alter the meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while” and “which,” and most sentences communicate the intended comparisons. Some grammatical errors remain, but they rarely prevent understanding. For example, “Agricultural products accounted almost same export revenue” is missing “for” and an article (“for almost the same export revenue”), while “the export value drop minimally” needs a past-tense verb (“dropped”). In “Petroleum products and engineering goods cover the highest export value,” the present-tense “cover” does not fit the past-year data, and the plural subject requires careful agreement. Review articles, verb forms, and prepositions in common reporting patterns; this would make the otherwise varied sentence structures more controlled.

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