Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28
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 for multiple activities at one social centre in Australia between 2000 and 2020.
Overall, the number of participants in table tennis and musical performance increased steadily, while film club, martial arts and amateur dramatics decreased dramatically over the period.
At the beginning, table tennis increased steadily from about seventeen in 2000 to approximately 55 in 2020. There was no change from 2000 to 2005, but the number of participants in musical performance increased steadily over one and a half decades from zero in 2005 to approximately eighteen in 2020. There were fluctuations in martial arts over the two decades from approximately thirty seven in 2000 to thirty eight in 2020.
Similarly, the number of participants in film club decreased dramatically over one decade from approximately 65 in 2000 to sixty in 2010. After 2010, it increased steadily over one decade from approximately sixty to sixty nine in 2020. Furthermore, the number of participants in amateur dramatics gradually increased half a decade from about twenty seven in 2000 to approximately twenty nine in 2005, and dramatically decreased over one and a half decades from about twenty nine in 2005 to approximately eight in 2020.
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 provides an overview in the second paragraph that largely misinterprets several key trends shown in the graph. Specifically, the student states that the 'film club, martial arts and amateur dramatics decreased dramatically over the period,' which is inaccurate since martial arts remained relatively stable around 36 participants and the film club actually finished higher at 66 in 2020 than it started at 64 in 2000. While the student attempts to report figures for individual categories in the subsequent paragraphs, several data points are misread or misdescribed, such as stating that the film club 'increased steadily over one decade from approximately sixty to sixty nine in 2020' (the chart shows a rise to 66). This leads to a weaker response that fails to fully and accurately cover all parts of the task according to the data provided.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is structured into four paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing specific trends. However, the logical progression is flawed due to inaccurate trend reporting in the overview. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or inappropriately (e.g., 'At the beginning, table tennis increased steadily' juxtaposed with 'There was no change from 2000 to 2005'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of data lacks a clear, cohesive strategy, mixing categories rather than comparing them effectively. Referencing and linking could be much smoother to guide the reader through the data.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for a visual report, including terms such as 'participants', 'increased steadily', 'decreased dramatically', and 'fluctuations'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocations, combined with factual misreadings of the chart. For instance, describing a drop to 6 participants as 'decreased dramatically' is accurate for amateur dramatics, but applying similar dramatic decrease language to the film club contradicts the actual data points. The range of vocabulary remains somewhat limited and repetitive ('increased steadily', 'decreased dramatically' reused multiple times), resulting in a modest lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing temporal and comparative subordinate clauses (e.g., 'while film club, martial arts and amateur dramatics decreased dramatically over the period' and 'There was no change from 2000 to 2005, but the number of participants...'). There are several grammatical and structural awkwardnesses, such as 'increased steadily over one and a half decades from zero in 2005 to approximately eighteen in 2020' (musical performances started at 0 in 2000, not 2005) and 'gradually increased half a decade'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but errors in timeframes and data tracking persist throughout, limiting the overall control.
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