Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-28
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 given bar graph illustrate the perceived and actual likelihood of people becoming victims of three different types of crime namely burglary car crime and violent crime in 2009 and 2010 and 2011.
Overall, the perceived likelihood of becoming a victim was considerably higher than the actual figures for all three types of crime car crime had the highest perceived rate in both years whereas the actual rates remained comparatively low.
Looking at the figures in 2009 and 2010,approximately 15 percent of people perceived themselves as being at the risk of Burglary,while the actual figure stood at only around 2 percent .car crime recorded the highest perceived rate at roughly 21 percent compared with about 4 percent who were actually affected.
In 2010 and 11 the perceived rates declined across all three categories.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While you have identified the main features and made some comparisons, the analysis is incomplete. You have not fully covered the data for all years mentioned in the prompt, particularly regarding the 'violent crime' category, which is barely addressed. The overview is present but lacks the depth required for a higher band. To improve, ensure you provide a comprehensive summary that covers all categories and trends across the entire period provided in the graph, ensuring you meet the length requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited; for example, the transition between the overview and the body paragraph is abrupt. There is a lack of linking words to connect the data points effectively. The paragraphing is also inconsistent, as the final paragraph is extremely brief and lacks a clear connection to the preceding analysis. To improve, use a wider range of cohesive devices (e.g., 'furthermore', 'in contrast', 'consequently') to guide the reader through your comparison of the data.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use terms like 'perceived' and 'actual likelihood' correctly, which is good. However, there is some repetition of phrases such as 'highest perceived rate' and 'actual figure'. There are also minor errors in punctuation and capitalization, such as 'Burglary' being capitalized mid-sentence. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase', 'decrease', and 'difference' to avoid repetitive phrasing and demonstrate a more sophisticated control of vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally hinder the flow. For instance, the opening sentence has a subject-verb agreement error ('graph illustrate' should be 'graph illustrates') and missing punctuation. There are also issues with missing articles and inconsistent spacing around punctuation marks. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent punctuation throughout your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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