Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-21

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 4.5)

The given table illustrates the value of one country's exports in different categories between 2015 and 2016.

Overview: Overall in 2016 the percentage of value of petroleum products, engineered goods, agriculture products and textiles had increased. In contrast, the proportion of value of all these products had declined in 2015.

According to the table, in 2016 the proportion of value had increased in petroleum products, engineered goods and textiles by 3%. In contrast the percentage of value ofthese products had declined in 2015

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the general topic and attempt an overview, but the response only partially reports the chart and table. The overview correctly notes increases in petroleum, engineered goods, agriculture and textiles, yet it incorrectly says all these products declined in 2015; the comparison should describe changes from 2015 to 2016, and gems and jewellery also fell. The figures are also misreported: the 3% increase applies only to petroleum, not engineered goods and textiles, whose changes were 8.5% and 15.24%. You omit the export values and the decline in gems and jewellery. The response is also below the required 150 words, leaving the main features substantially undeveloped. Include accurate key figures and comparisons, and explain the overall ranking or notable changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response with an opening sentence, an overview, and a further detail paragraph. The use of “Overall” and “In contrast” shows an effort to signal relationships between ideas. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the same claim about increases and declines is repeated, and the final sentence is incomplete in meaning. The phrase “According to the table” also introduces details that are not clearly distinguished from the chart’s export values. Develop separate, purposeful paragraphs for the overview and key comparisons, and use linking expressions only where the relationship is accurate. Clearer references to the categories and years would make the short report easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “exports,” “categories,” “increased,” “declined,” and “percentage,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or repetitive. “Proportion of value” is not a natural way to describe export earnings, and “agriculture products” is less suitable than the chart’s “agricultural products.” Repeating “value” and “products” also limits precision, while “engineered goods” does not match the label “engineered goods” only if intended as a category name—use the chart label consistently. Build a small set of accurate terms such as “export earnings,” “rose,” “fell,” and “percentage change,” and use them to distinguish monetary values from percentage movements.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce several complete simple sentences, and the opening sentence communicates the subject clearly. There is also an attempt at a more complex contrast with “In contrast.” However, grammatical control is uneven: “the proportion of value of all these products had declined in 2015” does not express the intended comparison clearly, and the final sentence repeats this faulty construction. The phrase “value had increased” also needs a clearer subject and time comparison. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, as seen in “Overall in 2016” and “ofthese.” Aim for direct sentence patterns such as “Export earnings from textiles rose…” and check that each sentence compares 2016 with 2015. More varied, accurately controlled structures would strengthen the report.

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