Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-07
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The graph below shows the perceived danger and actual likelihood of being a victim of crime.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Perceived and actual likelihood of being a victim of crime: by crime type
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The bar chart compares peoples perception of the becoming a victim of crime with the actual likelihood for three types of crime in 2009/10 and 2010/11. Overall it shows the percentage increase. Car crime was seen most likely and violent crime was least likely.
In 2009/10, car crime perceived highest approximately 23% burglary was about 15% as same to violent crime 14%. However, the actual rates were lower at approximately 3% for car crime, 2% for burglary and 1% for violent crime. Similarly, in 2020/10, perceived car crime was maximum among three categories and violent crime was seen approximately 14% and burglary at 12% which was the least. The actual figures also showed a small decrease in crime , with car crime at 4%, burglary at 2% and violent crime remaining 3%.
In conclusion, the public perception of crime risk was significantly higher than the actual figures for all crimes types.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the graph, including the comparison between perceived and actual crime rates. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. You have identified the highest and lowest categories, but the comparison between the two time periods (2009/10 and 2010/11) is slightly confusing due to a typo (referring to 2020/10). While you have selected key data points, the reporting lacks a clear overview of the significant gap between perception and reality, which is the most striking feature of the data. To improve, ensure all data points are accurately transcribed and focus on highlighting the most significant trends rather than listing every figure.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the first and second body paragraph could be smoother. You use some cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Similarly', but the overall structure feels a bit disjointed. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'as same to violent crime', which hinders the logical progression of your comparison. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun references would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic descriptors like 'highest', 'lowest', and 'small decrease'. There are also some awkward collocations and phrasing errors, such as 'peoples perception of the becoming a victim' and 'car crime perceived highest'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'significantly higher', 'marginal decline', or 'disproportionate'. Additionally, ensure that you use terminology accurately, such as 'perceived likelihood' rather than just 'perceived'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include missing articles ('burglary was about 15%'), incorrect preposition usage ('as same to'), and tense/date errors ('2020/10'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these errors are persistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Additionally, try to incorporate a wider range of complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions, while ensuring they are punctuated correctly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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