Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-04

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 given graph illustrates the number of individuals who participated in different recreational activities at a social center in Melbourne, Australia, between 2000 and 2020.

Overall, the graph shows some fluctuation during these 20 years. The participants in the film club and marital arts remained almost the same throughout the period. The candidates in the table tennis and musical performances increased during the period. In contrast, the participants in amateur dramatics decreased throughout the period.

The participants in the film club slightly increased from 62% to 68%. Martial arts participants were almost same during these 20 years, at approximately close to 40%. On the other hand, the percentage of individuals in table tennis had significantly increased and reached to 55% in these 20 years. The number of participants in musical performances started from 2005 and reached to almost 18% in 2020.

In Contrast, the participants in amateur dramatics decreased from 25% to almost 10% in 2020

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of the graph, such as the stable trends in the film club and martial arts, the significant rise in table tennis, and the decline in amateur dramatics. However, the evaluation sits at this level because some ideas are under-developed and inaccurate regarding the data units. For instance, the student repeatedly misinterprets the y-axis values as percentages (e.g., writing '62% to 68%' and '40%'), even though the chart clearly measures the 'Number of participants' up to 70. Furthermore, musical performances are described as starting from 2005, whereas the data shows them beginning at zero in 2000 and rising from 2010 onwards. To reach a higher level, the writer must ensure that numerical data is reported accurately and that key trends are supported with precise figures from the visual source.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introductory paragraph, an overview outlining the main trends, and subsequent body paragraphs that group data by activity. Information is logically sequenced to some extent, and the writer makes an effort to use cohesive devices to transition between ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical. For example, the transitional phrase 'In Contrast' is repeated awkwardly ('In contrast' in paragraph two and 'In Contrast' again to start the final sentence), and the paragraphing is somewhat disjointed with a very short final sentence standing alone. To improve, the writer should ensure smoother transitions between sentences and integrate isolated points into well-developed paragraphs to enhance the logical progression of the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic trends through words such as 'fluctuation', 'increased', 'decreased', and 'significantly'. The writer also attempts less common vocabulary items like 'participants' and 'recreational activities'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice and terminology. The most significant lexical error is the misuse of the word 'marital arts' instead of 'martial arts', which impedes precision. Additionally, the writer repeatedly uses 'candidates' to refer to participants, which is an unnatural collocation in this context. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to expand their range of less common lexical items, ensure correct word forms and spellings, and select vocabulary that fits the specific context of graphical data reporting rather than relying on repetitive or imprecise terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like subordinate clauses and comparative constructions ('The participants in the film club slightly increased from...'). There are some grammatically correct sentences, but the writing is marred by errors in grammar and prepositions. Examples include 'remained almost the same throughout the period' without a plural noun for the second activity, and awkward prepositional patterns such as 'reached to 55%' instead of 'reached 55%' or 'rose to 55%'. Furthermore, articles are occasionally misused or omitted. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the writing from achieving a higher band. To progress, the writer should focus on mastering verb-complement patterns, prepositional use with statistics, and maintaining strict control over basic grammatical agreements.

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

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