Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18
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 illustrates the number of participants through different activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia for the period 2000 to 2020.
Overall, the graphs shows both increasing and decreasing trend, where film club accounted the highest participations and amateur dramatics recorded the lowest.
Looking at the details, film club started with more than 60 participations in 2000, where it increased to about 70 participations by 2020. Furthermore, table tennis also accounted steady increase, where it started with about 18 participations in 2000 and rose to approximately 60 participations by 2020. Musical performances also started from 0 in 2025 and increased to 20 participations by 2020.
On the other hand, martial arts shows fluctuations, where it started at about 38 participations in 2000, where it ended up with the same number or participations in 2020. Similarly, amateur dramatics showed steady decline, where it started at about 28 participations in 2000, while it ended at less than 10 participations by 2020.
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 addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the five activities. An overview is provided, noting both increasing and decreasing trends, as well as the highest and lowest points. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies and awkward phrasings in reporting the figures; for instance, the student states that musical performances started from 0 in 2025 (which is a typo for 2000), and the exact numbers are slightly generalised or misread in places (e.g. film club started around 64, but the student states 'more than 60', and martial arts figures fluctuate differently). Nevertheless, the main trends—such as the dramatic rise in table tennis and the decline in amateur dramatics—are successfully captured, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overall summary, and two body paragraphs grouping the activities logically. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression and contrast, such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the details', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel repetitive or slightly mechanical, such as the frequent reliance on 'where it started... where it increased...'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to structure the information, maintaining a clear overall arrangement that meets the criteria for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive verbs/nouns related to data trends, such as 'fluctuations', 'steady increase', 'decline', and 'participations' (though 'participants' is the more standard collocation). There are some word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as using 'participations' instead of 'participants' or 'participation', and saying 'through different activities' instead of 'for different activities'. Spelling is generally accurate, and the errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as 'through different activities' instead of 'in different activities', 'film club accounted the highest participations' (missing a preposition and using incorrect noun form), and a chronological typo ('in 2025' instead of '2000'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor structural slips occur. These errors rarely impede communication, aligning with the Band 6.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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