Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-22

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 graph illustrates the price of a country's exports in different categories from 2015 to 2016. The table represents the percentage change in every category of exports during 2016 in comparison with 2015. Overall, i can be seen that the petroleum products and engineered goods were the highest as compared to the other categories during 2015 to 16,whereas agricultural products and textiles were the lowest meanwhile, gems and jewellery were in middle.

Firstly, the highest export were petroleum products with more than 60 billion. Meanwhile, Engineered goods were on the second place with upto 50 in 2015 and upto 60 billion in 2016. Agricultural products and textiles were almost same in between 30 to 40 billions in 2016.However, in 2015 they were upto 30 and then below 30 and upto 20 billions. Furthermore, gems and jewellery were in between 40 and 50 2015,whereas it droped a bit in 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main categories and give a broad overview, noting that petroleum and engineered goods were the leading exports and that gems and jewellery fell slightly. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: agricultural products and textiles were not both among the lowest in 2015, as agricultural exports were about $31 billion, above textiles and gems’ lower position. Several figures are also imprecise or misleading: engineered goods were about $57 billion in 2015, not “up to 50,” and the table’s percentage changes are not reported. The response therefore covers only some key features and leaves important comparisons underdeveloped. It is also one word below the required minimum. Include the percentage changes and accurately compare the largest rise, in textiles, with the decline in gems and jewellery.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by a paragraph describing individual categories. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Meanwhile,” and “Furthermore” help signal movement between points. However, the progression is not consistently clear because several categories and years are combined in the same sentence, and the contrast introduced by “However” is difficult to follow. The overview also groups agricultural products and textiles together without making their different positions clear. Improve cohesion by organising the details into clearer comparisons—for example, the two highest-value categories first, then the remaining categories—and use linking expressions to show precise contrasts between years rather than relying on a list of transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “exports,” “categories,” “percentage change,” and “petroleum products,” so the subject is generally clear. There is some variety in expressions such as “in comparison with” and “droped a bit.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing chart data: “price” would be better expressed as “value” or “export earnings,” and “were on the second place” is an awkward collocation. “Lowest” is also misleading when applied to both agricultural products and textiles. Spelling and presentation slips, including “droped,” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting language and check spelling; use terms such as “ranked second,” “rose,” “declined,” and “recorded export earnings” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a comparison with “whereas” and a sentence beginning “Overall.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and agreement are noticeable. For example, “Overall, i can be seen” has an incorrect construction and pronoun capitalisation, while “the highest export were” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence beginning “Agricultural products and textiles were almost same” is missing an article, and punctuation is often missing after year references, as in “2016.However.” These issues make some comparisons harder to read. Practise accurate patterns such as “It can be seen that…,” “the highest export category was…,” and “were almost the same,” and separate sentences with consistent punctuation.

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