Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-30

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 chart provides information about the number of participants in five different activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia from 2000 to 2020.

Overall, film club consistently attracted more participants over the two decades. While table tennis activity experienced a significant increased in participant number, amateur dramatics became less popular, with martial arts remained relatively stable throughout the period. In addition, people engaged in musical performances were later than the other activities, which its particapant experienced a gradual rise.

Participants attracted more to film club activity thoughout the entire timeframe. In 2000, there was around 65 people before declining to about 60 in 2010 and then its number recovered to reach approximately 66 by 2020. The table tennis category attracted about 15 individuals and this figure steadily rose to 20 in 2010 before climing sharply to around 55 in 2020, becoming the second common activity. A similar trned was observed in musical performances, people begun to join it in 2005 and the numbers sarted to rise to reach about 10 in 2010, followed by mild growth afterward to 20 in 2020.

By contrast, Amateur dramatic participants dropped dramaticaly over the time, in 2000, there was around 25 individuals, with mild rising in numbers to about 27 in 2005, but by 2020, a significant decline was observed to just under 10 people in this category. Finally, martial arts participants r

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all key features of the graph, including the trends for all five activities. You successfully identified the main trends, such as the dominance of the film club and the sharp rise in table tennis. However, the response is incomplete as it cuts off mid-sentence at the end, failing to provide data for the final category (martial arts). To improve, ensure you complete your analysis of all categories and provide a clear, concise summary of the data. While the overview is present, it could be more effectively integrated to highlight the most significant differences between the activities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'By contrast', and 'Finally' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical phrasing, such as 'people engaged in musical performances were later than the other activities'. Additionally, the abrupt ending significantly disrupts the coherence of the final paragraph. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that your paragraphing remains consistent throughout the entire response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'consistently attracted', 'significant decline', and 'steadily rose'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and form, such as 'significant increased' (should be 'increase') and 'particapant' (spelling error). You also struggle with collocations, for example, 'people begun to join it' is slightly unnatural in this context. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensure you proofread for common spelling errors and word forms to avoid minor inaccuracies that distract the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'with martial arts remained relatively stable' (should be 'remained'), 'which its particapant experienced' (incorrect relative clause), and 'people begun to join' (tense error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices in the third paragraph. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tense usage to improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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