Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-04

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 value of a particular nation's export in five different categories during 2015 and 2016, while the table compares the change in percentage of those categories of export during the same period.

Overall, Petroleum products remained the highest earning category in exports in both the years, while Textiles remained the lowest earning category in exports in the year 2015, whereas Textiles saw the highest positive percentage change in value and Gems and jewellery saw the negative change in the value in the year 2015 and 2016.

Petroleum products remained the highest export earning category in both the years [redacted phone] starting at $61 billion and $63 billion respectively. With $57, $44, $32 and $27 billion in the year 2015, Engineered goods, Gems and jewellery, Agricultural products and Textiles remained at the second, third, fourth and the fifth highest export earning category in the year

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main high and low categories and note the key contrast that textiles had the strongest increase while gems and jewellery declined. However, the response addresses the chart only partially: it gives no account of the 2016 values or the percentage changes beyond those broad observations, and the final sentence is cut off before completing the comparison. Some figures are also inaccurate: gems and jewellery is about $43 billion in 2015, not $44 billion, and textiles is about $26 billion, not $27 billion. The overview’s claim that textiles was the lowest in 2015 is correct, but it would be more informative to mention that petroleum remained highest and that textiles rose markedly. The response is also three words below the required minimum. Develop the comparisons and report the table figures accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph beginning to report category values. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and contrast markers such as “while” and “whereas” help signal comparisons. However, progression is weakened because the final paragraph stops mid-sentence at “in the year”, leaving the comparison incomplete. The overview also combines several points in a long sentence, making the relationship between the textiles and gems trends less clear. The repeated phrase “in the year” and repeated category-ranking language make the flow somewhat mechanical. Use a complete final paragraph, group the figures into clear comparisons, and use concise referencing such as “these figures” to avoid repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “percentage change,” “highest earning category,” and “positive percentage change.” These choices make the subject and broad trends clear, and the response shows some flexibility in describing rankings and movement. However, several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “the change in percentage” and “the negative change in the value”; more natural choices would be “percentage change” and “a decline in value.” “Export” is also used repeatedly where “export earnings” or “exports” would be more precise. The phrase “remained at the second, third…” is not a natural way to describe rankings. Aim for accurate collocations and vary repeated wording while keeping the language formal and clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast structure with “while” and “whereas,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, some grammatical errors and awkward constructions remain. In the introduction, “the value of a particular nation's export” uses a singular noun where the plural is needed; “the value of a nation’s exports” is appropriate. The overview’s long sentence has unclear coordination, and “in the year 2015 and 2016” should be “in 2015 and 2016.” The final sentence is incomplete, so its structure cannot convey the intended comparison. There is also inconsistent punctuation around the list of figures. Use shorter, complete sentences for the data comparisons, check articles and plurals, and proofread sentence endings.

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