Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-01

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 provides data on the number of students participating for various activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia over the 20 years decade.

Overall, it is clear that the film club maintained the highest amount of participants over the 20 years period. The table tennis club participants had experienced a significant increase after initial ten years, In contrast, The amateur dramatics club was the only club which had a sharp decrease after initial five years.

Throughout the period, The film club started approximately 65 in 2000 "but" it slightly got down in 2010 and after that it recovered to around 65 again in 2020. participation in The martial arts club fluctuated after every initial five years "but" by the end of 2020, it reached the same amount of participants of 2000, which was around 36. participants in The musical performances club was around 0 at the beginning of 2000 after after initial 5 years it had a great surge to around 16 in 2020. Table tennis club's participants was slightly increasing from 2000 to 2010 but after that it had a huge increase from around 18 to 55. The only club which had a great downfall that is, The amateur dramatics which was going slightly up between 2000 to 2005 but then it started falling apart from around 38 to 6.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall patterns: the film club remains the largest activity, table tennis rises markedly, and amateur dramatics declines. You also include useful comparisons, such as martial arts ending at roughly its starting level. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear. Musical performances rose from zero to about 18 by 2020, not to around 16; and amateur dramatics fell from about 28 in 2005 to 6, rather than “from around 38 to 6.” The overview also says amateur dramatics decreased after the first five years, although it initially rose slightly. The response covers the task and selects relevant features, but these misreported figures and the limited detail on some trends reduce precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, an overview and a paragraph describing the series. The main trends are generally grouped sensibly, and phrases such as “In contrast” help signal comparison. However, progression within the final paragraph is weakened by moving repeatedly between activities, and the repeated use of “after that” and “but” makes the linking mechanical. Some references are also unclear, particularly “after initial 5 years” and “it started falling apart,” where the reader must infer the exact period or series. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, stable activities together and rising or falling activities together—and use more precise time references to make the account easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “fluctuated,” “significant increase,” “recovered” and “sharp decrease,” so the reader can understand the broad changes. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for an academic graph description. “Highest amount of participants” would be better expressed as “highest number of participants,” while “great surge” and “falling apart” are too informal or dramatic. “Students” is also not the most accurate label for people taking part in activities; “participants” is appropriate. Repetition of “around” and “increase” limits variety, and inconsistent capitalisation and quotation marks distract from otherwise relevant vocabulary. Aim for precise, neutral trend language and natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence forms, including contrast and time clauses, as in “The table tennis club participants had experienced a significant increase after initial ten years.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction occur in several places. For example, “Table tennis club’s participants was” should use a plural verb, and “over the 20 years period” needs a more accurate article and form. The sentence beginning “participants in The musical performances club was around 0” also has agreement and capitalisation problems, while “after after” is an editing error. Punctuation is inconsistent, with unnecessary quotation marks and spaces. Check each sentence for a clear subject and verb, and proofread for repeated words and capitals.

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