Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-29

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 graph illustrates the apparent danger and actual crime ratio of 2009, 2010, and 2011 and the data are given in percentage.

Overall, the highest amount of genuine crime and threats to be in danger were for car crimes. However, other crimes like burglary and violent crime were similar in those years.

In 2009 and 2010 the actual burglary crime were 2% which was the least among all crimes. However, the perceived danger were all time high for that year at 16%. Which led down to 13% in 2010 and 2011, and actual crime were at 3% in those year. Although, the ratio of true car crimes were similar in those year at 4% each, It's threat of danger were highest in 2009 and 2010 at 21% which decreased to 17% in 2010/11.

Furthermore, violent crimes were least among all and similar to burglary. The percentage of actual crimes in all three years were equal at 3%. But the amount of supposed danger were at 15% and 13% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the graph and made relevant comparisons between perceived and actual crime rates. You covered all three crime types and provided data to support your points. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by inaccuracies in data interpretation. For example, you stated that burglary was 2% in 2009 and 2010, whereas the graph shows it at 3% for 2009. Additionally, your description of the trends is sometimes confusing, such as the reference to '2010/11' which is not clearly defined in the source data. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data extraction is precise and that you clearly distinguish between the years and categories.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific crime types. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'Although' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and some mechanical use of transitions. For instance, the transition 'Which led down to 13%' is grammatically incomplete and creates a disjointed reading experience. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'genuine crime', and 'perceived danger'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'actual crime ratio' (instead of 'actual crime rate') and 'supposed danger' (which is less precise than 'perceived danger'). There are also minor errors in word form, such as 'It's threat' (should be 'its'). To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure you are using the correct parts of speech to describe statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the actual burglary crime were 2%'), incorrect pluralization, and punctuation errors, such as starting sentences with 'Which'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity of your report. To achieve a higher score, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without fragments.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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