Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-22
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 highlights data about how many people participated in five various activities at one social club in Melbourne, Australia for the first two decades of XXI century.
Overall, over the years, more participants got involved in activities on Table tennis and Musical plays, while Amateur dramatics lost its interest for public. Being fluctuated, two types of activities, which are Film club and Martial arts, levelled off. Another striking point is that, over a 20 year period, between 2000 and 2020, the Film club kept its position as the most popular activity.
Looking at the details of Table tennis, in 2000, there were about 15 participants in club for it. In the next10 years, it attracted five more members, before dramatics surge from 20 to below 60 participants. In 2005, the activity on musical performance introduced and over the following 15 years, it saw a steady increase on the number of participants by about 20 in the last year.
Regarding next two activities, Film club and Martial arts, the saw fluctuations, but without any changes in the overall position. Film club started the process with about 60 members and finished it just below 70, while the participants of martial arts kept the numbers at around 35.
The number of participants of amateur on draturgy was about 25 and it saw a steady increase then by 10.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| 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 most popular activity (Film club) and the contrasting trends for Table tennis and Amateur dramatics. However, some data points are inaccurate or poorly described. For instance, stating that Amateur dramatics 'lost its interest' is a bit vague, and the description of the 'dramatics surge' is confusingly phrased. Additionally, the final paragraph is underdeveloped and lacks clear integration with the rest of the data. To improve, ensure that all figures cited are precise and that the comparison between categories is more explicitly linked to the data points provided in the graph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each focusing on specific activities. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Overall,' 'Regarding,' and 'In the next 10 years,' which help guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'the saw fluctuations' and 'the activity on musical performance introduced.' The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally into the next without mechanical repetition.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuated,' 'levelled off,' and 'steady increase.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and non-standard collocations, such as 'lost its interest for public,' 'dramatics surge,' and 'amateur on draturgy.' These errors occasionally impede the clarity of your message. To improve, focus on learning specific collocations related to data description (e.g., 'experienced a surge' rather than 'dramatics surge') and ensure you are using accurate terminology for the activities described in the prompt.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('in club for it'), incorrect verb forms ('the saw fluctuations'), and awkward sentence construction ('the activity on musical performance introduced'). While these errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice when describing data trends. Proofreading for basic sentence structure errors will help you achieve a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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