Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-05

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 the perceived danger and actual likelihood of being a victim of crimes like burglary, car crime, violent crime.

overall, car crime has the highest percentage in term of percieved and actual both. whereas burglary and violent crime perceived are almost at same level but percentage of actual in burglary is less than violent crime.

In terms of perceived 2009/10 car crime shows the highest percentage approximately 22% , althought burglary and violent crime are almost at same percentage close to 15%, whereas in term of actual 2009/10 all three remains under 5%, car crime is the highest while burglary is the lowest.

Furthermore in perceived 2010/11 car crime is still the highest nearly 17% and burglary and violent crime are close to each other approximately 13%. In contrast with actual 2010/11 figures car crime is close to 5%, burglary is approximately 3% subsequently violent crime is at approximately 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, as it attempts to summarise the main features and compare the perceived danger and actual likelihood of crime. However, the length requirement is not met, as the response contains only 142 words, falling short of the 150-word minimum (with 11 words copied from the prompt excluded). While an overview is attempted at the beginning, it is very brief and lacks full development. Key features such as the overall vast gap between perceived and actual crime rates are highlighted, but the description of specific data points contains some inaccuracies, such as misstating the 2009/10 perceived car crime figure as approximately 22% rather than 21%. To reach the next level, the writer must ensure the word count exceeds the minimum threshold and provide a more fully developed, accurate summary with extended comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation evident in the essay, with paragraphs dedicated to an overview and specific years. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is hindered by abrupt transitions and mechanical cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'In contrast with'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the paragraphing is basic. The introductory overview is awkwardly placed and lacks proper integration with the rest of the text. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, the writer needs to ensure a smoother, more logical progression of ideas across paragraphs, use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally, and structure the overview so that it clearly sets the stage for the detailed body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'perceived danger', 'actual likelihood', 'burglary', and 'violent crime'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, such as 'percieved' (spelling), 'in term of' (imprecise collocation for 'in terms of'), and awkward phrasings like 'actual likelihood of being a victim of crimes'. These errors and the restricted range of vocabulary can cause some slight difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire by incorporating a wider and more flexible range of less common vocabulary and ensuring accurate spelling and word choice throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with occasional attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. For instance, the opening sentence lacks a main verb structure and runs on awkwardly, and punctuation is occasionally neglected, such as missing commas in introductory clauses. Frequent errors in grammar and punctuation appear throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'all three remains' and missing articles or prepositions. These errors can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To progress, the writer should aim to use a wider variety of complex grammatical structures with greater control, while reducing the frequency of basic grammatical errors.

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

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