Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustrates the value of one country's exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The values are given in $billions. The table provides data in percentages for each category of export in 2016 compared with 2015.

Overall, the bar chart shows the highest value for petroleum products in both years, followed by engineered goods. Textiles, however, had the lowest amount in 2015.

The data table shows an increase in the percentage of all products except Gems and Jewellery, whose percentage decreased. The highest increase in percentage was in textiles in [redacted phone].

Petroleum showed 59 in 2015 and 62 in 2016, with a 3% increase overall, while engineered goods decreased to 57 in 2015 and increased to 61 in 2016, with an 8.5% increase in 2016. Gems and Jewellery had a bar at 42 in 2015 and at 40 in 2016, showing a 5.18% decrease. Agricultural products had a very small rise of 0.82%, with the bar showing 31.5 in 2016 from 31 in 2015. Textiles had 27 in 2015 and reached 31 in 2016, a 15.24% rise.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the chart and table and identify several key features: petroleum products lead in both years, textiles show the largest percentage rise, and gems and jewellery decline. Most reported values are close to the chart, but petroleum is given as 59 and 62 rather than approximately 61 and 63, and the engineered-goods figures are described as a decrease to 57 before rising to 61; the chart shows growth from about 57 to 62. The overview also says textiles were lowest in 2015, but does not clearly state that they became the second-lowest category in 2016, alongside agriculture. The year range “2015-2026” is an obvious typo. A more complete overview and more accurate comparisons would make the main features clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and then details about the five categories. This makes the information easy to follow, and linking words such as “Overall,” “however,” and “while” help signal relationships. However, the overview separates the chart’s main pattern from the table’s percentage changes without fully synthesising them, and the final paragraph becomes a list of figures rather than grouping related trends. The sentence about engineered goods is also difficult to follow because it says the value “decreased to 57” before increasing. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, rising categories together and the one declining category separately—and use more precise referencing to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task vocabulary, including “exports,” “percentage,” “decreased,” “increase,” and “rise,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also some less natural or imprecise choices: “had a bar at 42” is not a natural way to report a chart value, and “highest increase in percentage” would be clearer as “largest percentage increase.” “The bar chart shows the highest value” is understandable, though “recorded the highest export value” is more precise. Check spelling and capitalisation in “Gems and Jewellery,” and avoid the inaccurate year expression “2015-2026.” More precise chart-reporting collocations and consistent category names would strengthen the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “whose percentage decreased” and the comparison structure “from 31 in 2015.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical choices reduce precision. In “Petroleum showed 59 in 2015 and 62 in 2016,” the verb “showed” needs an object such as “export earnings of”; similarly, “with the bar showing 31.5 in 2016 from 31” is an awkwardly formed comparison. The sentence about engineered goods also has a confusing sequence of verbs and time references. Use consistent past-tense reporting and complete comparison patterns, such as “rose from X to Y.” These are some errors, but they do not generally prevent understanding.

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