Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · 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 8.0)

The line graph illustrates how many people took part in five different activities at a social centre in Melbourne between 2000 and 2020.

Overall, table tennis and musical performances became much more popular, whereas amateur dramatics declined sharply. The film club remained the most popular activity throughout, while martial arts stayed relatively stable.

The film club had the highest number of participants, starting at about 64 in 2000, dipping to 60 in 2010 and then recovering to roughly 66 in 2020. Martial arts fluctuated within a narrow range of approximately 32 to 38 participants over the 20 years, ending at about 36.

By contrast, table tennis grew from 16 participants in 2000 to 20 in 2005 and 2010, before surging to about 54 in 2020, overtaking martial arts to become the second most popular activity. Musical performances, which had no participants until 2010, rose from about 12 to 18 by 2020. Amateur dramatics, however, peaked at 28 in 2005 and then fell steadily to around 6 in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the prompt exceptionally well, earning a high band for its thorough and accurate treatment of the visual data. The student successfully identifies and reports the main features and trends of the line graph, providing a clear overview at the beginning that captures the general trajectories of all five activities. Key data points, such as the film club starting at around 64 and table tennis surging to about 54 in 2020, are reported accurately and used effectively to make meaningful comparisons. The information is fully supported by the graph, and there are no omissions or inaccuracies of note. To reach the highest tier, the response could incorporate an even finer level of nuance regarding minor transitional fluctuations, though the current coverage is more than sufficient for this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

Ideas are logically sequenced and progress naturally from a general introduction and overview into well-structured body paragraphs detailing specific trends. Cohesive devices are managed skilfully without being obtrusive; phrases such as 'Overall', 'By contrast', and 'however' guide the reader smoothly through the comparisons and contrasts between the different activities. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct and clear function—separating stable trends from dramatic increases and declines. Pronoun referencing and substitution are handled accurately, ensuring the flow of information remains seamless throughout the text. Further progression into the highest band would require even more sophisticated and invisible transitions, but the current structural control is highly effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The vocabulary used is varied, fluent, and flexible, demonstrating a good command of less common items appropriate for an academic report. The student employs precise verbs and adjectives to describe statistical trends, such as 'dipping', 'recovering', 'fluctuated', 'surging', and 'declined sharply'. Word choice and collocation are generally skilful and natural, as seen in expressions like 'narrow range' and 'second most popular activity'. There are only occasional minor inaccuracies, but these do not impede communication. To achieve the top band, the student could integrate even more sophisticated or precise lexical chunks, though the current range successfully fulfills the demands of the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

A wide range of grammatical structures is used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, featuring a sophisticated mix of complex and compound-complex structures, such as 'Musical performances, which had no participants until 2010, rose from about 12 to 18 by 2020.' Verb tenses, past tense agreement, and prepositional phrases within grammatical patterns are handled with excellent control. Punctuation is accurate throughout, effectively separating clauses and items in a series. To push into the absolute highest category, the response would need to display an even greater variety of intricate syntactic structures used with native-like flexibility, but the control demonstrated here is already very strong.

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