Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-09

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 5.0)

The bar graph illustrates perceived and actual likelihood of being a victim of crime by crime type perceived 2009/10, actual 2009/10, perceived 2010/11 and actual 2010/11.

Overall, the bar chart show that the crime rate perceived its highest point at 22% in car crime 2009/2011 and whereas the actual crime rate during the same period and same crime type was only 4%.

A closer look at the percentage of burglary crime was 15.1% in 2009/2010, before decreasing to 13% in 2010/2011. the crime rate for car theft was higher than that for burglary. the percentage of car crime was 22% in 2009/2010, before decreasing to 17% in 2010/2011.

In other hand, between 2009 and 2011, the percentage of burglary and violent crime were almost the same. In reality, the actual figures for both types of crime were closer to 4% between 2009 and 2011. the lowest crime rate was recorded in the actual crime category.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include relevant comparisons, especially that car crime has the highest perceived likelihood and that actual figures are much lower. However, the overview is unclear and contains a misleading period reference: “22% in car crime 2009/2011” should refer to 2009/10, and the chart shows about 21%, not 22%. Some figures are also imprecise, and the statement that actual figures for burglary and violent crime were “closer to 4%” overlooks their lower values of roughly 2–3.5%. The response does not fully summarise the main patterns and is 142 words, below the 150-word minimum; the 13 words copied from the prompt do not count. Add a clearer overview and accurate comparisons across both years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of detail. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “A closer look” signal a move to specific data. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph repeats comparisons already made rather than developing a clear contrast between perceived and actual likelihood. Linking is sometimes awkward, as in “In other hand,” and “and whereas” joins ideas incorrectly. Capitalisation after full stops is also inconsistent. Grouping the figures systematically—for example, perceived rates first and actual rates second—would make the comparisons easier to follow and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar graph,” “percentage,” “decreasing,” and “actual figures,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some variation in how you refer to the data, but several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “Crime rate” is not the best term for a chart showing the likelihood of victimisation, and “car theft” is used where the chart label is “car crime.” The phrase “the crime rate perceived its highest point” is also an unnatural collocation. More precise terms such as “perceived likelihood,” “actual proportion,” and “reached a peak” would improve clarity and help you describe the data accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including the comparison “before decreasing to 13%.” However, errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. For example, “the bar chart show” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the crime rate perceived its highest point” has an incorrect sentence structure. The overview’s “and whereas” creates a faulty connection, and “the percentage of burglary and violent crime were” has a number-agreement problem. Sentence openings after full stops are also not consistently capitalised. Practise building clear comparison sentences with accurate subjects and verbs, such as “Perceived likelihood was highest for car crime, while actual likelihood remained much lower.”

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

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