Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-12
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 multi-line graph illustrates the number of participants in five activities at one social centre in Melbourne, town of Australia from 2000 to 2020.
Overall, film club marked the highest number of participants. While, amateur dramatics participants dropped sharply and ended with the least number of participants. The dramatic increase can be seen in the number of tennis players at the end of period. However, martial arts remained constant.
Film club, begin with the highest number of participants at approximately 65 in 2000 and remained steady throughout the period. Meanwhile, table tennis started with the least number of participants approximately 16 in 2000 that climbed gradually in 2005 and 2010. After 2010 the number of table tennis players surged and marked over 50, made it the second high number of participants.
Furthermore, martial arts level off at over 35 participants over the given period. Amateur dramatics showed downward trend. In the beginning, participants grew from 25 to 30, afterward the figures dropped reached at under 10. However, musical performances surpassed amateur dramatics after 2015 ,marked approximately 20 participants in the end of the year, despite had no record in the start of period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by presenting an overview of the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the five activities. The key features are appropriately highlighted, such as the film club remaining the most popular throughout, the dramatic increase in tennis and table tennis, and the sharp drop in amateur dramatics. The writer outlines the starting and ending points alongside key trajectory changes, such as the surge in table tennis after 2010. Although the introduction contains a slightly awkward phrasing in 'Melbourne, town of Australia', the overall selection and reporting of data satisfy the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 level of task achievement. The information is accurate according to the graph, and comparisons are effectively integrated into the body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs, demonstrating a logical overall arrangement. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, with phrases like 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', 'After 2010', and 'Furthermore' serving to structure the response. However, there are some minor mechanical issues and awkward transitional links, such as 'While, amateur dramatics participants dropped sharply' where the punctuation separates the clause unnaturally, and 'despite had no record'. Referencing is generally clear, but paragraphing could be slightly more refined to ensure smoother progression. These issues place the response solidly at Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a Task 1 report, attempting less common items and descriptive verbs such as 'surged', 'climbed gradually', 'dramatic increase', and 'downward trend'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text. For instance, 'town of Australia' is unnatural, 'begin with' should be past tense ('began with'), 'second high number' should be 'second highest', and 'level off' lacks the past tense inflection ('levelled off'). Spelling is generally correct, but inaccuracies in form and collocation prevent the score from reaching Band 7.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and participle phrases such as 'made it the second high number of participants' and 'despite had no record in the start of period'. There are several grammatical errors, including tense inconsistencies ('begin with' instead of 'began with', 'level off' instead of 'levelled off'), missing prepositions ('in the end of the year' instead of 'at the end of the period'), and fragments or awkward relative clauses. Despite these recurring errors, communication is not impeded, and the reader can easily follow the trends described, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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