Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01

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 information on the number of participants in different activities at a social centre in Melbourne.

From an overall analysis, it is evident that there was marked, consistent upward trajectory in joining the film club, while the amateur dramatics experienced a declining trend.

To expound the chart in detail, the majority of participants were involved in film club. In 2000, 65 numbers of participants actively engaged in film club, then it showed ups and downs and finally jumped tp the peak at 65 at its initial value in 2020. Moreover, participants pursuing to martial arts were below 40 in 2000 after that they experienced strong fluctuation and stood at 40 in 2010 and remained at 39 in 2020. Furthermore, the table tennis participants were initially at 15 in 2000 and faced fluctuation till 2010, reaching to 20 and experienced a steep increase in 2020.

As further scrutiny reveals, the start of the table involvement in amateur dramatics was at 25 in 2000 while it experienced a strong decline from 2005 to 2010 represented as 5 .

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response presents an attempt to cover the line graph, but it contains significant inaccuracies in reporting the data and misses several key trends. For instance, the student states that film club participation 'jumped tp the peak at 65 at its initial value in 2020,' which misinterprets the temporal progression, and incorrectly claims that musical performances started at zero in 2000 without mentioning their actual emergence later. While an overview is attempted, the details are often vague or inaccurate, leading to a partial and flawed representation of the visual data. To reach a higher standard, all data points and trends must be read accurately from the graph, and the most prominent features—such as the dramatic rise of table tennis and the steady dominance of the film club—need to be clearly reported with precise comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is arranged into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs attempting to detail the data. However, the overall progression is somewhat disjointed, and cohesive devices are used clumsily or repetitively, such as the frequent reliance on transitional phrases like 'From an overall analysis' and 'To expound the chart in detail.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, making the flow between sentences mechanical rather than natural. To improve coherence, sentences must be linked with smoother, more varied cohesive ties, and the information within paragraphs should follow a clearer, more logical sequence that supports the overall comparison of activities over the twenty-year span.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, with attempts to describe trends using words such as 'upward trajectory,' 'declining trend,' and 'fluctuation.' However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as '65 numbers of participants,' 'pursuing to martial arts,' and 'the start of the table involvement.' These errors occasionally cause confusion or strain for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary, demonstrating better control over collocations and the correct use of nouns and prepositions associated with statistical trends, avoiding awkward phrasings.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple and moderately complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with prepositions ('involved in film club' instead of 'in the film club,' 'pursuing to martial arts'), incorrect verb formations ('jumped tp'), and awkward phrasing that impacts readability. While some sentences are understandable, the density of grammatical slips across basic patterns restricts the response to a lower level. To improve in this area, the student must work on mastering subject-verb agreement, accurate prepositional use in graphical descriptions, and ensuring that complex sentence attempts are constructed with correct grammatical architecture.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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