Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-07
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The graph below gives information on the numbers of participants for different activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia for the period 2000 to 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The line graph illustrates the number of students using five different modes of activities such as film club, martial arts, amateur dramatics, table tennis and musical performances at one social center in Melbourne, Australia from 2000 to 2020.
Overall, film club and martial arts tasks gradually increased, while table tennis suddenly grew by the end of the period. Moreover, amateur dramatics declined throughout the end of the period, whereas musical performances significantly increased in 2005 and by the end of the period.
In 2000, participating in the film club gradually was around 62 and went up the same throughout the period, and it was the highest one. Furthermore, martial arts went in a straight trend starting from 34 and in 2020 was the same noticeable number of participants. Additionally, table tennis started from 15 and rapidly goes upward in 2005, after that the trend suddenly had a downward fluctuation in 2010 to around 18, whereas then the trend went upward suddenly and increased sharply by the end of the period approximately 50. Although, musical performances started from 2005 at 0 and escalated gradually by the end of the period around 15 in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the main trends. You successfully identified the highest category (film club) and the general movements of the other activities. However, the report is slightly let down by inaccuracies in data reporting. For example, you state that martial arts started at 34 and remained the same in 2020, but the graph shows a clear increase. Additionally, you mention amateur dramatics declined, but the graph shows it starting at 0 in 2000 and fluctuating. Precision is vital in Task 1; ensure your data points match the visual evidence exactly to reach higher bands.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'whereas' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by grouping the activities more effectively (e.g., those that increased vs. those that fluctuated). The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing, which prevents the response from reaching a higher level of cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'escalated', 'fluctuation', and 'sharply'. However, there are some word choice errors, such as 'modes of activities' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'tasks' to describe the activities. You also struggle with collocations, such as 'went in a straight trend'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'remained stable' instead of 'was the same noticeable number'. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but lacks the flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include tense inconsistency (e.g., 'rapidly goes upward' instead of 'went'), incorrect preposition usage ('participating in the film club gradually was around 62'), and awkward sentence construction ('it was the highest one'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring your verb tenses remain consistent when describing past data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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