Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-07

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 graph illustrates the variation in the number of participants for multiple activities at a social centre in Melbourne, specifically from the year 2000 to 2020. Overall, activities like musical performances and table tennis had consant growth in the 20 year period, with other activities like matrial arts and film club having fluctuations, and amateur dramatics consistently plumetting down.

Musical performances essentially started growing in the year 2005 when other activities already had existing number of participants. Film club activity faced a slight decline in number of participants in 2010 however it started growing back upto about 65. Multiple activities had a similar amount of participants at certain instances, such as amateur dramatics while constantly declining, had 20 participants, same as table tennis in the year 2010. Between the years 2010 and 2020, table tennis had the strongest growth rate, going from 20 to about 50 participants, again intersecting with martial arts participants in the year 2015. In essence, activities like table tennis and amateur dramatics faced the strongest growth and depletion, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview. You highlighted the growth of musical performances and table tennis, as well as the decline of amateur dramatics. However, the response lacks precision in reporting data. For example, you mention 'about 65' for the film club, but the graph shows it peaking closer to 80. Additionally, the description of the start of musical performances is slightly inaccurate, as the graph shows data points from 2000. To improve, ensure you carefully cross-reference the years and values on the axes to provide more accurate data points, which is essential for a higher band score in Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In essence' and 'however' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated. For instance, the transition between the general overview and the specific details in the second paragraph is a bit abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus to enhance the overall progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuations', 'intersecting', and 'depletion'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'consant' (constant), 'matrial' (martial), and 'plumetting' (plummeting). These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To reach a higher band, focus on accuracy in spelling and try to incorporate more precise collocations related to data description, such as 'a steady upward trend' or 'a sharp decline', rather than relying on simpler descriptive phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Musical performances essentially started growing in the year 2005 when other activities already had existing number of participants.' While your meaning is generally clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'had existing number' (should be 'had an existing number') and 'upto' (should be 'up to'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but ensure you check for minor errors in articles and prepositions. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help you achieve a higher band score.

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