Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-17
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 gives information on the numbers of participants for different activities at one social centre in Melbourne for twenty years from 2000 to 2020.
The overall number of participants in different entertainment departments increased throughout the years. In contrast, the the martial arts stabilized at one point. However, the amateur dramatics decreased dramatically in those two years.
Firstly, the amateur dramatics allocated the different pattern from all other activities. It increased slightly till 2005 and then it decreased drastically in next 15 years.
Secondly, the table tennis uplifted gradually and then it became steady at 20 and following this it rose dramatically exceeding 50. Similarly, the musical performances also rose from 2005 to 2020 reaching around 16.
On the other hand, the martial arts and film club had almost the same trend in the graph in twenty years. These both activities showed less fluctuations and recovered at the end at almost same point.
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 student covers all parts of the task by reporting on the different activities and making relevant comparisons across the given timeframe. The main features are identified, such as the steady dominance of the film club, the dramatic decline of amateur dramatics, and the significant growth of table tennis. However, there are some minor inaccuracies or vague interpretations in the data reporting, such as stating that 'the martial arts stabilized at one point' (when it actually fluctuated between 32 and 38) and claiming that musical performances reached around 16 in 2020 (when the chart shows 18). Despite these minor misreadings, an adequate overview is provided and the main trends are successfully highlighted, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to specific activities. The student uses logical connectors such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'On the other hand' to structure the text. However, paragraphing is slightly choppy with multiple short paragraphs, and some cohesive devices are used mechanically or awkwardly, such as 'allocated the different pattern' instead of 'followed a different pattern'. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow is occasionally hindered by clunky transitional phrases. Overall, this demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6 cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'participants', 'fluctuations', 'dramatically', and 'gradually'. There are, however, several inappropriate word choices and collocations, such as 'entertainment departments', 'allocated the different pattern', and 'uplifted' in place of 'increased' or 'grew'. Furthermore, there are awkward phrasing choices like 'recovered at the end at almost same point'. These lexical errors and limitations in precision restrict the score to a solid Band 5.5, bordering on Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text. Notable errors include a duplicate article ('the the martial arts'), incorrect prepositions ('in those two years' instead of 'over those twenty years', 'at 20' instead of 'at 20 participants'), and missing articles. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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