Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-14
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 chart illustrates the value of one country exports in various categories between the years 2015 and 2016, the table provied key information about the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Overall, the exports earnings showed a slight increas for the year 2016, the same as the percentage change in each category in 2016 compared with in 2015.
according to what is shown textiles took the lead with the biggest increas among all the export earnings, followed by engineered goods respectively, before petroleum products come after and agriculture with almost noticable increas, then gems and jewellery at least witnessing the only decreas of earnings among all the exports goods.
in terms of percentage change in value for the years 2016 and 2015, textille recorded 15,24% increas, engineered goods recorded almost 9% increas, followed by petroleum and agriculture products with 3% and roughly 1% respectively, reaching gems and jewellery with 5,18% decline.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main direction of change and correctly highlight textiles as the fastest-growing category and gems and jewellery as the only one to decline. The percentage figures you report are broadly consistent with the table. However, the overview is unclear: “exports earnings showed a slight increas” does not specify that most categories rose while gems and jewellery fell, and the response gives no export values from the chart (for example, petroleum products were about $61 billion in 2015 and $63 billion in 2016). The description is therefore only partial and some key comparisons are underdeveloped. The response is also 144 words, six below the 150-word minimum; 13 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Add a concise overview and a few chart values to develop the summary.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the trends and percentage changes. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the final paragraph largely repeats the percentage comparisons already made in the preceding paragraph. The long sequence beginning “textiles took the lead” also strings categories together without clearly separating the comparisons, while “followed by … respectively” is not an effective link for this list. Use one paragraph to compare export values and another to summarise percentage changes, with clear topic sentences and fewer repeated details. More precise referencing would also make the relationships between categories easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage change,” “recorded,” “decline,” and “exports,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons you intend. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision. “Exports earnings” is an awkward combination, “took the lead” is imprecise for describing the largest increase, and “almost noticable increas” is unclear. There are also repeated misspellings, including “provied,” “increas,” and “textille.” Aim for accurate, conventional chart language such as “export earnings,” “experienced the largest rise,” and “a negligible increase.” Proofreading spelling and choosing precise terms would make the report more fluent and reliable.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts longer structures, including “the table … about the percentage change” and a sequence comparing several categories, but control is inconsistent. The opening sentence joins two independent clauses with a comma, and the overview repeats this problem: “Overall, the exports earnings showed a slight increas for the year 2016, the same as…” The phrase “compared with in 2015” also has an incorrect preposition pattern, and the response shifts between sentence openings without consistent capitalisation. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise separating complete clauses with a full stop or using a suitable conjunction, and check articles, prepositions, and sentence boundaries. More accurate simple sentences would help before adding complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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