Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-22

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 gives information on the number of participants for different activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia for the period 2000 to 2020.

Overall, in 2020, the number of participants in the film club was very high compared to the other activities. Furthermore, in 2020, the number of participants in table tennis was also very high.

In 2000, the number of participants in the film club was approximately 63, but by 2010, it had increased to 66. Furthermore, the number of participants in table tennis increased significantly, from 16 in 2000 to 53 in 2020. However, participation in musical performances increased gradually each year, rising from 0 participants in 2005 to 18 participants in 2020.

In 2000, participation in amateur dramatics stood at around 27 in 2000 before decreasing to 20 in 2010. However, it then increased significantly to approximately 53 in 2020. Furthermore, participation in martial arts remained constant from 2000 to 2020, at roughly 38 participants.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and selecting key features and comparisons from the graph. However, there are some factual inaccuracies in the data reported. For instance, the student states that the film club participation increased from 63 in 2000 to 66 by 2010 (the graph shows 64 to 60 before rising later), and more seriously, claims that amateur dramatics increased to approximately 53 in 2020 when the graph actually shows a sharp decline to around 6. Additionally, martial arts is said to remain constant at roughly 38, whereas it fluctuates between 32 and 38. Despite these data reading errors, the overall trends for table tennis and musical performances are correctly identified.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to different groupings of activities. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'However', and 'In 2000' are used to signal logical relationships and progression. However, some connections are confusing due to factual errors in the data, and referencing sometimes lacks precision. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different parts of the visual data, contributing to an overall coherent structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with attempts to use descriptive verbs and adverbial modifiers such as 'significantly', 'gradually', and 'remained constant'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and data reporting, such as describing a dramatic decrease in amateur dramatics as a significant increase. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying heavily on phrases like 'the number of participants in'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'In 2000, the number of participants in the film club was approximately 63...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as repetitive sentence structures and a chronological contradiction in the final paragraph ('In 2000, participation in amateur dramatics stood at around 27 in 2000'). However, these errors rarely impede the overall communication of the intended message.

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