Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-20

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 chart illustrates the export earnings of a country in several categories such as petroleum products, engineered goods, gems and jewellery, agricultural products, and textiles in 2015 and 2016. The earnings are measured in dollars by billions.

Overall, Petroleum products has the highest export earning within the given period of approximately 61 billion dollars in 2015 and 62 billion dollars in 2016. Whereas, Textiles has the least export earning with 27 billion dollars in 2015 and 32 billion dollars in 2016.

Next to petroleum products is the engineered goods having approximately 61 billion dollars in 2016, which is relatively close to the export earning of pertroleum products. The remaining categories such as gems and jewellery and agricultural products have an average earnings that fall in the median between 31 billion to 42 billion dolalrs in the given period.

In summary, the percentage change in 2015 and 2016 are as follows: petroleum products has increased 3%, engineered goods has increased 8.5%, gems and jewellery decreased by 5.18%, agricultural products has increased 0.81%, and lastly textiles has increased 15.24%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and include an overview of the highest and lowest categories, then report all five percentage changes. These are relevant features, and the percentage figures match the table. However, some chart values are inaccurate: petroleum products are about $63 billion in 2016, not $62 billion, and textiles are about $26 billion in 2015, rather than $27 billion. The statement that gems and agricultural products have “average earnings” between $31 and $42 billion is broad and does not clearly compare their different trends; gems fall while agriculture is almost unchanged. Develop the overview around the main contrasts and use a few accurate figures to support it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on other categories, and a final summary of percentage changes. This makes the information easy to follow. However, the progression is not fully effective because the final paragraph repeats a list of changes rather than integrating the most important comparisons into the overview. Some linking is also awkward: “Whereas” begins a sentence fragment after the first overview statement, and “Next to petroleum products” does not clearly signal the comparison with engineered goods. Grouping categories by trend—for example, increases versus the decline in gems—would create a more logical progression and reduce the list-like feel.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of task vocabulary, including “export earnings,” “percentage change,” “increased,” and “decreased,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more precise description, such as “relatively close” and “median,” although “median” is not the most natural way to describe values in this context. Some word-choice and spelling slips reduce precision, including “earnings are measured in dollars by billions,” “pertroleum,” and “dolalrs.” Repeated use of “earnings” and “categories” also makes parts of the response less flexible. More natural collocations such as “measured in billions of dollars” and “export revenue” would strengthen control while keeping the language clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the introductory clause “such as…” and the comparison “which is relatively close to…”. Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. In “Petroleum products has” and “Textiles has,” plural subjects require “have”; similarly, “the percentage change … are” should use a singular verb if referring to the overall change, or “the percentage changes … are.” “Whereas” is used as a sentence opener without a complete clause, and “has increased 3%” needs “has increased by 3%.” Aim for consistently accurate subject–verb agreement and complete sentence structures while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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