Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-18

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 bar graph illustrates the comparison of earnings in billions between five various categories of the products which are traded by the country between period 2015 and 2016. while the table represnts the proportion of the value of products that are changed between 2015 to 2016.

Overall, the export earning of petroleum products and engineered goods rose up gradually. however the rest products remained stabalized. Whereas the textiles value dominated in proportion while value of gems and jwellery decreased.

In 2015, petroleum products had more earnings which increased considerably about approximately 63 billion dollers. while engineered goods rose from 55 billion dollars to 62 billion dollars. The gems and jwellery had decresead upto approx 41 billion dollars in earning. In addition the agriculatural poducts earnings inscreased slightly from 31 ro 32 billion dollars, Similarly the textiles earning rose and had same earnings as agricultural products in 2016.

In contrast, the percentage of value changed between 2015 to 2016. The value of textiles surged with 15.24% while the value of gems and jwellery decreased with 5.18%. The least proportion changes with 0.81% was in agricultural products. The petroleum products increased by 3%.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover both the chart and the table, and your overview identifies several important patterns: petroleum and engineered goods increased, gems and jewellery declined, and textiles had the largest percentage rise. Most figures are broadly consistent with the visual, including the fall in gems to about $41 billion and textiles reaching roughly the same value as agricultural products in 2016. However, the overview is not fully precise: agricultural exports also rose slightly rather than remaining stable, and petroleum and engineered goods did not both rise “gradually” to the same extent. Some comparisons are underdeveloped, such as the fact that petroleum remained the highest-earning category in both years. Clarifying these key features and distinguishing absolute values from percentage changes would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph describing the export values, and a final paragraph on percentage changes. This makes the information easy to locate. You also use linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “In contrast.” However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “In contrast” does not introduce a true contrast when you move to the table, and “Whereas” begins a fragment-like continuation in the overview. The sequence within the data paragraph also shifts between categories without a consistent comparison pattern. Grouping the largest earners together, then the lower-value categories, and using clearer links between the chart and table would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “earnings,” “percentage,” “increased,” “decreased,” and “surged,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons you intend. There is also some variety in how you describe change. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “five various categories,” “remained stabalized,” and “dominated in proportion.” Repeated use of “value” and “earnings” also limits precision, particularly when discussing both dollar amounts and percentage changes. Spelling errors, including “represnts,” “jwellery,” and “dollers,” are noticeable. More accurate collocations and careful spelling would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “while” and “whereas,” and you communicate the main comparisons despite some errors. However, sentence boundaries and punctuation are not consistently controlled: “while the table represnts…” follows a full stop with a lowercase opening, and “Whereas the textiles value…” is not joined clearly to the preceding idea. There are also errors in verb forms and sentence construction, as in “the textiles earning rose and had same earnings,” and “the value of textiles surged with 15.24%.” Articles and prepositions are sometimes missing or awkward. Aim to build complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check punctuation and grammatical links between clauses.

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

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