Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-21
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 graph shows the information of participants for different activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia from 2000 to 2020.
Overall, film club remained highest participants over the period. While, musical performances had the lowest participants and martial arts were fluctuating. Meanwhile, amateur dramatics decreased sharply and table tennis rose significantly over the period.
In 2000, around 65 participants in film club, and this figure remained same in 2020 and martial arts had 35 participants, and this figure also remained same throughout the period.
In contrast, around 17 of participants in table tennis, and this figure rose steadily to about 20 to 52 in 2020. In addition, amateur dramatics had 27 participants. However, this figure decreased sharply to about 8 participants in 2020. Similarly, musical performance begin with 0 participants in 2005, and this figure rose significantly to about 15 participants in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main patterns: film club is the largest activity, table tennis rises strongly, and amateur dramatics declines. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear. Film club ends at about 66, not the same figure as in 2000, and martial arts fluctuates rather than remaining unchanged throughout. Musical performances began at zero in 2000, not 2005. The response also contains only 132 words, below the required 150, so the overview and comparisons are not developed enough. To strengthen the report, include the key intermediate changes—for example, table tennis’s sharp rise after 2010—and describe the starting and ending figures accurately.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs reporting figures. The overview usefully groups the main trends, and phrases such as “In contrast” and “In addition” signal relationships between activities. However, progression within the detail paragraph is sometimes difficult to follow: several series are joined in long sentences, and “this figure” is repeated without always making its reference clear. “While” and “Meanwhile” also create links that are not always logically precise. Organise the details into clearer comparisons, such as grouping the rising activities together and the declining or fluctuating ones together, and use separate sentences to make each trend easy to track.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant vocabulary for describing a graph, including “remained highest,” “decreased sharply,” “rose significantly” and “fluctuating.” These choices communicate the broad trends, but the range is limited and some expressions are awkward or imprecise, such as “the information of participants” and “17 of participants.” Repetition of “figure” and “participants” also makes the report less varied. Choose more natural collocations and vary the language used to describe numbers and trends. For example, “the number of people in the film club” is clearer than “participants for film club,” while “climbed markedly” can replace repeated uses of “rose significantly.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including contrasts between activities, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors occur frequently in sentence construction and verb forms. For example, “In 2000, around 65 participants in film club” is a sentence fragment, while “musical performance begin” needs a past-tense verb. The sentence beginning “While, musical performances…” is also incorrectly punctuated and structured. Articles and prepositions are often missing, as in “in film club” and “participants in table tennis.” Use complete subject–verb sentences, maintain past tense when reporting the historical data, and check articles and punctuation when joining contrasting ideas.
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