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 illustrates the amount of participants for various activities at one social center in Melbourne, Australia over the time between 2000 to 2002.
Overall, it can be seen that film club was the highest of all and remained platitude over the given time. Table tennis had a sharp increase. Simultaneously, amateur dramatics had a constant decrease after 2010. Meanwhile, musical performance started in 2005, stayed, and shared an increasing trend.
As for filming club, the number of people participating was just above 60, which was the highest among all, and lingered around the same figure across the given time period. Martial arts started as the second highest with a figure just below 40 until table tennis crossed it in 2005 and took its position while it stayed constant.
Turning to amateur dramatics, which initiated from around 30%, had a steady increase before facing a decline till 2020. Meanwhile table tennis was initially beneath 20 and had a steady increase till 2010 before having a dramatic increase till the end of the year. Musical performance started later in 2005 and had an increasing trend over the period of 15 years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main trends in the graph, such as the film club remaining the highest and table tennis showing an increase. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the time period is misread in the opening sentence as '2000 to 2002' instead of '2020'. Additionally, amateur dramatics is stated to have 'initiated from around 30%', whereas the chart shows it starting at 26, and its starting point is confused with other data points. While an overview is provided, the numerous errors in specific data points and data misinterpretation prevent the response from achieving a higher band. It addresses the task partially.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is structured into distinct paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing specific trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', and 'Turning to' are used to connect ideas. However, the logical progression is sometimes hindered by unclear referencing and confusing body paragraph sequencing (e.g., mixing up the descriptions of martial arts and table tennis). Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion can be mechanical and awkward due to the data inaccuracies.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items and descriptive phrases such as 'sharp increase', 'constant decrease', and 'lingered around'. However, there are notable lexical errors and unnatural collocations, such as 'amount of participants' instead of 'number of participants', 'remained platitude' (likely meaning flat or constant), and 'filming club' instead of 'film club'. These errors show limited precision, though communication is generally maintained despite the vocabulary flaws.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'while it stayed constant' and 'which initiated from around 30%'. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are errors in preposition use, relative clauses, and verb tenses (e.g., 'till the end of the year' instead of 'period'). While some sentences are accurate, frequent minor errors and awkward phrasing mean that error-free sentences are not in the majority, restricting the score to a solid band 5.5 or 6.0 range; given the frequency of minor structural awkwardness, a 5.5 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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