Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-19
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 three categories of crime and the percentage of perceived and actual likelihood of crime victimisation from 2009 to 2011.
Overall, the car crime was mostly perceived and most likely higher in all years. However, the other two categories of crime were similar in percentage of perceived dangers, but the actual likelihood of violent crime was slighly more than burglary.
In the year 2009/2010, the greatest increase in the number of crimes related to car, which perceived danger up to 22% and actual rating of incidents happened were only 4.5%. In contrast, the percentage of violence and burglary were almost 15%, which shows the same amount of danger, but the actual likelihood of crime was minimal in burglary(2.5%) as compared to violent crime (3.5%).
In the following year ([redacted phone]), the crime rate was reduced all in all, and likelihood of burglary went up slightly. The car crime declined 5%, violent crime and burglary both dropped by 2% in a perceived manner, whereas the actual incidence of crime was remain almost unchanged as per previous year's data.
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
The student successfully identifies the main categories and provides an overview of the data, noting that car crime had the highest perceived and actual likelihood. Key features are selected, such as the comparison between car crime, burglary, and violent crime across the two time periods. However, there are some inaccurate interpretations of the data points, such as stating that 'the greatest increase in the number of crimes related to car, which perceived danger up to 22%', whereas the chart shows 21% in 2009/10 and a decrease to 17% in 2010/11. Furthermore, phrasing regarding actual incidence rates contains minor inaccuracies. Nevertheless, all parts of the prompt are addressed, supporting an overall Band 6.0 placement for task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to the specific years. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall', 'However', 'In the year 2009/2010', and 'In contrast', which generally guide the reader through the data comparison. However, referencing and transitions can be slightly mechanical and awkward at times, such as 'the crime rate was reduced all in all'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and specific yearly breakdowns. This demonstrates clear logical progression overall, aligning well with the Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'categories', 'victimisation', 'perceived danger', and 'actual likelihood'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'car crime was mostly perceived and most likely higher', 'actual rating of incidents happened', and 'in a perceived manner'. These inaccuracies indicate a limited control of collocations and word forms when attempting less common vocabulary. Spelling is generally accurate, but the precision required for higher bands is lacking. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses ('which perceived danger up to 22%') and comparative structures. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, such as 'the actual likelihood of violent crime was slighly more than burglary' (missing comparison element), 'the greatest increase in the number of crimes related to car, which perceived danger up to 22%' (incomplete verb phrase/fragment), and 'actual incidence of crime was remain almost unchanged'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the response from achieving a Band 6.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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