Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-30

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 8.0)

the line graph illustrates participation in five activities at a social centre in Melbourne, Australia , over the 20 year period from [redacted phone].

Overall, the film club remained the most popular activity throughout the period, while table tennis experienced the most significant growth. In contrast, participation in amateur dramatics declined considerably. The figures for martial arts fluctuated, whereas musical performances increased from zero.

Film club fell gradually from 64 people to 60 in 2010 before recovering to 66 by 2020. Martial arts followed a fluctuating pattern, declining from 36 participants to 32 in 2005 then rising to 38 in 2010. It subsequently fell to 34 in 2015 before returning to 36 at the end of the period.

Table tennis showed the most dramatic growth. Its participation increased from 16 in 2000 to 20 in 2005, remained unchanged in 2010, and then climbed sharply to 36 in 2015 and 54 in 2020. By contrast, amateur dramatics rose slightly from 26 to 28 participants between 2000 and 2005, before declining steadily to just 6 by 2020. Musical performances had no participants in 2000 or 2005, but the figure subsequently rose to 12 in 2010 and continued increasing to 18 in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.5

The response covers all parts of the task extremely well, presenting a fully developed overview and selecting all key features of the visual data accurately. The student effectively reports the trends, fluctuations, and comparative data across the five activities without omitting major details. Figures are accurately cited from the prompt, such as the film club's peak and the steady decline of amateur dramatics. To reach an even higher standard, the analysis could weave in slightly more integrated comparisons between categories rather than treating them sequentially, yet the overall execution remains exceptionally thorough and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

Ideas are logically sequenced, and progression is clear throughout the text. The writer introduces the graph smoothly in the introductory sentence, followed by a well-crafted overview paragraph that captures the primary trends. Paragraphing is used effectively and appropriately, with each body paragraph dedicated to specific activities or patterns. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'subsequently', and 'By contrast' are managed skilfully to guide the reader seamlessly from one point to the next. Minor improvements in cohesion would involve even more varied transitional phrases to avoid any hint of formulaic structuring.

Lexical Resource: Band 8.0

The student displays a wide, fluent, and flexible lexical range suitable for an academic response. Less common vocabulary items and phrases are used skilfully and naturally, such as 'experienced the most significant growth', 'declined considerably', and 'followed a fluctuating pattern'. Word choice and collocations are generally accurate, reflecting a strong command of language appropriate for reporting statistical data. Occasional minor awkwardness could be avoided, but overall the vocabulary is sophisticated and enhances the clarity of the report significantly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

A wide range of complex sentence structures is deployed with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, demonstrating a secure grasp of subordination, past tense forms, and participial phrasing (e.g., 'before recovering to 66 by 2020'). Punctuation is well-controlled, and clauses are linked securely. To achieve absolute perfection, minor inconsistencies in punctuation—such as the spacing before commas—could be eliminated, but these do not detract from the overall high level of grammatical control and fluidity.

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