Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-17

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 perceived danger and actual likelihood of being a victim of crime in the year 2009/10 and 2010/11.

Overall, it was perceived that car crime would occur more than burglary and violent crime. Burglary and violant crime grow in the next year, whereas car crimes decreased.

In 2009/10 car crime perceived just over 20%, which decreased into roughly 17% in the next year. Burglary and violent crime both were accounted for 15%, respectively. Burglary dropped at approximately 13%, followed by violent crime just over 13%.

However, these crime did not occur as they were perceived. Burglary stood at nearly 2% in 2009/10 and accounted for the lowest happened actual crime in that year, while car crime was recorded the highest figure at exact 4.5%. In the next year car crime reduced to 4%, while Burglary slightly climb at 3%. In contrast violant crime remain steady just over 3%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s two measures and periods, and your overview correctly notes that perceived car crime was highest and fell, while perceived burglary and violent crime rose. However, the latter trend is inaccurate: both perceptions fell between years, from about 15.5% to 13% for burglary and 13.5% for violent crime. Some actual figures are also misreported: car crime stayed around 4.5%, burglary rose only from about 2% to 2.5%, and violent crime rose from 3% to 3.5%. The response is 140 words, below the required 150, so the account is also underdeveloped. Include a clearer overview and check each comparison against the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate discussion of perceived and actual crime. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is weakened by the inaccurate overview that burglary and violent crime “grow,” followed by details that say they fell. The shift marked by “However” is understandable, but the comparisons within paragraphs are not always clearly organised, and “these crime” does not clearly refer to the three crime types. Use a consistent order—such as discussing each year or each crime measure—and connect the overview directly to accurate supporting figures. This would make the organisation more coherent and reduce confusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “perceived,” “actual,” “decreased,” “stood at,” and “recorded,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “grow” for a percentage that falls, “lowest happened actual crime,” and “car crime perceived.” These expressions make some comparisons awkward or unclear. There are also spelling errors in “violant,” and capitalisation is inconsistent in “Burglary.” Aim for precise reporting phrases such as “the perceived risk fell to” and “the actual rate was the lowest.” More accurate collocations and careful spelling would make the description clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a sentence beginning “In contrast.” However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to make several sentences awkward or difficult to interpret. For example, “Burglary and violent crime both were accounted for 15%” has an incorrect verb construction, while “In the next year car crime reduced” needs a passive or an intransitive form such as “the figure for car crime fell.” Tense and agreement are also inconsistent in “violent crime remain steady,” and “these crime” has incorrect number agreement. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and sentence patterns for comparing figures; this will improve clarity as well as range.

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

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