Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-06

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 figure illustrates the information of different activities taken by the local people at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia from 2000 to 2020.

Overall, the participants number were less than 70 and there were five different categories that people were able to participate. The most popular was the film club while amateur dramatics was the less popular among other categories within twenty years.

Among five categories, the musical performance was introduced in 2005 unlike the others and it was climbed up around less than 20 participants in the last year. Moreover, the film club was the most outstanding choice among the people because the club started with 65 people since 2000 and then dropped slightly after ten years. Later, it was increased more than the starting numbers in the last year. Similarly, martial arts trend was fluctuated and it started with less than 40 members and fluctuated during the years and reached back to the starting number in 2020.

On the other hand, there were around 18 participants in 2000 for the amateur dramatics class and it rocketed and possessed the second most popular class in the last year. Conversely, the table tennis club had the downward trend unlike the rest leisure activities because it stood at the lowest number which was less than 10 people signed up for it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response makes an attempt to summarise the information by outlining some general features, but it contains significant inaccuracies and data confusion that prevent it from fully satisfying the task requirements. For instance, the writer states that amateur dramatics was the least popular class and rocketed to become the second most popular in the final year, whereas the visual data actually shows a sharp downward trend from 26 participants in 2000 down to 6 in 2020. Similarly, table tennis is described as having a downward trend and standing at the lowest number, while the chart clearly indicates a dramatic increase from 16 to 54 participants. These misreadings of the graph mean that key information is reported incorrectly, restricting the score to this band level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, overview, and body details appropriately. Information is organised logically by grouping different activities across the given time frame. However, cohesion at the sentence level is sometimes mechanical or faulty. Transition words and referencing phrases such as 'On the other hand' and 'Conversely' are used incorrectly to introduce data that contradicts the actual visual information rather than marking a genuine logical shift. Paragraphs are identifiable, but the progression within them is occasionally hampered by confusing logical links between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to attempt less common items such as 'outstanding choice', 'fluctuated', and 'downward trend'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies that reveal limitations in precision, such as writing 'the participants number were less than 70' instead of the number of participants, and misnaming categories like 'musical performance' instead of musical performances. Additionally, some descriptions directly conflict with the data due to lexical confusion, such as stating that amateur dramatics 'rocketed' when it actually declined. Spelling is generally acceptable, but vocabulary control remains at a developing level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like relative clauses and comparative constructions. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb forms, tenses, and agreements, such as 'the participants number were', 'it was climbed up', and 'martial arts trend was fluctuated'. Article usage is also problematic in phrases like 'the musical performance was introduced' and 'in the last year'. While these errors do not completely obscure the intended meaning, they occur regularly and restrict the overall control of grammar and sentence structures.

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