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.
Sample Response
The bar graph compares the export earnings of a country in billions of dollars from five different product categories in 2015 and 2016 while the table data outlines the percentage changes in export valuespercentage change in export amount in 2016 compared with the previous yearin 2016 than that of the previous year.
Overall, petroleum and engineered products were the highest-earning export categoriesmain export earners for this country both in 2015 and 2016, and the export amount increased in 2016 compared with the previous yearincreased in 2016 than the previous year except for gems and jewelleryexcept for gems and jewellery commodities.
In detail, the country earned approximately 220 billion dollars from its export trades in 2015 which increased by around 10 billion dollars In 2016next year. In 2015, earnings from petroleum exportsexport were over 60 billion dollars, the largest figurethe highest amount, while engineered goods brought in nearly 58 billion, the second-largest figurethe second-highest. Next year, these categories earnedthey made roughly 63 and 62 billion respectively. Jewellery and agricultural products generated about 70 billion dollars combinedconsisted of 70 billion in 2015 while textiles generatedtextile goods secured around 27 billion, which was the lowest. In 2016, the country exported just over 30 billion dollar's textiles and agro merchandise each and nearly 40 billion dollar's jewellery.
Moreover, in 2016, the value of jewellery products dropped by nearly 5%. Besides, the export value of engineered goodsthe price of engineered goods soared by 8.5% while the highest increase was for textile products - over 15%. Finally, the export values of petroleum and agricultural productsthe price of petroleum and agricultural merchandise in 2016 increased by 3% and approximately 1% respectively, compared with the previous yearrespectively than that of the year before.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response gives a clear overview and covers all five export categories with generally accurate values and percentage changes. Its main weakness is recurrent imprecision in word choice and comparative grammar, including treating export values as prices and using awkward forms such as "increased ... than." Prioritise accurate economic collocations and cleaner comparison structures while retaining the effective selection of key figures.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview identifies the leading exports and sole decline, while the details accurately cover the main values and all reported percentage changes.
Use exact category values more consistently and refer to export values or earnings rather than prices when reporting the table.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically sequenced from overview to earnings and then percentage changes, with clear overall progression.
Group each category's value and percentage change more directly to reduce switching between the chart and table.
Lexical Resource
The response shows good range, but several collocations are imprecise, including "export trades," "secured," and "price" for export value.
Use consistent terms such as "export earnings," "accounted for," and "value increased or decreased."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied complex sentences are generally controlled, although errors in comparison forms, agreement, and possessives recur without obscuring meaning.
Correct structures such as "increased compared with 2015" and "just over 30 billion dollars' worth of textiles."
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
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.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.