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 number of participants for different type of activities at a social centre in Melbourne, Australia.

Over the period of year [redacted phone], many people took part in activities such as Film club, Martial arts, Amateur dramatics, table tennis and Musical performances at a social centre in city of Melbourne.

Film club has the highest participants ranging from approximately 60-65. In 2000 around 64 people were part of the film club which decreased to 60 in 2010 and rose to 64 in [redacted phone] era. Martial arts numbers have fluctated over the years ranging between 30-40 from year 2000 to 2020.

Amateur dramatics saw a sharp decline, with 25 members in 2000 dropping to 5 members only in 2020. Table tennis players surged from 10-20 members to 50 members in 2020. While musical performances was added after 2005 saw an increase interest of members from 2005 to 2020 reaching a number of 15 from 0.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by presenting an overview of the graph and reporting several key features, such as the trends for the Film club and Table tennis. However, some aspects of the task are only partially covered or lack sufficient development. For instance, the mention of musical performances contains minor inaccuracies regarding the starting point and timeline, stating it was added after 2005 when the data shows a value of zero in 2005 and 12 in 2010. Furthermore, the selection of data is sometimes limited, and certain trends lack adequate comparison across the categories. To move to a higher band, the response needs to provide a more thorough and accurate overview, ensuring all prominent trends are clearly supported with precise data points and meaningful comparisons throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays some overall organization with a recognizable introduction and body paragraphs, but there is no clear overall progression linking the ideas smoothly. Cohesive devices are used rather simplistically or mechanically, such as repetitive transitions and occasional referencing issues that make the flow somewhat disjointed. For example, sentences in the body paragraphs tend to list isolated facts rather than building a cohesive argument or comparison between the different activities. Paragraphing is present, but internal logical transitions need greater control. To achieve a higher level of cohesion, the writer should employ a wider range of cohesive devices naturally and ensure that each paragraph builds logically upon the previous one with clear progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough range to communicate basic trends using terms like 'fluctated', 'sharp decline', and 'surged'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices that reflect a limited command of collocation and phrasing, such as writing 'illustrates number of participants' missing the article 'the', or 'increase interest' instead of 'increased interest'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to expand their lexical repertoire, incorporate more precise and natural collocations, and minimize word choice and spelling errors so that meaning is conveyed with greater flexibility and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or somewhat repetitive complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with missing articles (e.g., 'illustrates number', 'at social centre', 'in city of Melbourne'), prepositional usage, and tense consistency. While these errors do not completely obscure the message, they cause noticeable pauses for the reader. To improve the grammatical score, the writer must incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with good control, ensuring that basic grammar rules such as article usage and subject-verb agreement are applied accurately across the entire text.

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