Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-13
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 depicts the information about the numbers of candidates for five various activities at one social centre in the Melbourne, Australia during the period of 2000 to 2020.
Overall, it is clear that film club accounted as highest level during the entire period, whereas table tennis started with less number of people, it surged at maximum height by 2020.
Looking forward to the musical performances, there was no participants in 2000 to 2005, about 15 number of participants were seen after second decade. There was only 15 candidates in table tennis during 2000 same till next one decade. However, it surged to 55 number of participants in 2020.
In addition, film club remained stable during the entire period. Also, there was no such changes seen in martial arts. Around 25 number of candidates were involved in amateur dramatics, whereas it dipped down to one-fourth of participants at the end.
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 by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the five activities. The student successfully identifies key trends, such as the film club remaining stable and table tennis surging to a maximum height by 2020. An overview is also provided in the second paragraph, meeting the core requirements of Task 1. However, some data points are slightly imprecise, such as describing musical performances having 'no participants in 2000 to 2005' and 'about 15 number of participants' rather than reading the precise figures from the axes accurately. Furthermore, the description of amateur dramatics dipping down to 'one-fourth' is mathematically inaccurate based on standard visual interpretation. Despite these minor inaccuracies in data reporting, the main trends are adequately covered, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific activities. Logical progression is attempted using cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Looking forward to', 'However', and 'In addition'. However, some cohesive devices are used awkwardly or unnaturally, such as 'Looking forward to the musical performances' to introduce past data. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate ideas, but referencing and logical flow between sentences occasionally feel mechanical or slightly disjointed. Overall, the structural organisation is adequate for the task, resulting in a Band 6.0 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items and descriptive verbs such as 'surged', 'stable', and 'dipped down'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'accounted as highest level', 'less number of people', 'maximum height', and 'no such changes seen'. Phrases like 'about 15 number of participants' also reflect unnatural collocation. While these errors do not impede communication and the intended meaning remains clear, the frequent awkwardness and lack of precision prevent the response from reaching Band 6.5. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses introduced by 'whereas'. There are, however, several noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('there was no participants') and awkward phrasing ('started with less number of people'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but minor structural awkwardness persists, such as missing prepositions or incorrect modifiers ('same till next one decade'). While these errors occasionally cause the reader to pause, they do not severely impede overall communication. The command of grammar aligns well with the descriptors for Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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