Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-24

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The line graph below shows past and current overweight rates, as well as a projected future overweight rate in nine selected countries.

Summarise the infonnation by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Past and projected future overweight rates in selected OECD countries

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The line graph illustrates past, present and future obese rates in nine countries such as USA, England, Canada, Spain, Austria, Italy, Australia, France, Korea from 1970 to 2020.

Overall, it is clearly noticeable that USA experienced highest proportion of overweight rates, while Korea recorded the lowest. Another noticeable feature is that every country followed an upward trend.

First of all, USA experienced a rapid increase and reach a peak of 75% in 2020. While England, Canada and Spain followed a gradual rose . England obesity rates was almost 70% in 2020 which starts from close to 50% in 1990 and Canada and Spain was almost similar at the end of the period.

Besides, Austria and Italy overweight rates was approximately similar in 2020 with just under 50%. But Australia showed an sharp increase and reached close to 65% in 2020. By the end of the period, France followed an ups and down trend from the year 1990 to 2020, while Korea presents a slow rose between 25% to 35% from the year 1998 and 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview of the main trends and identifies the highest and lowest countries. However, the reporting of data is sometimes inaccurate or lacks precision. For example, stating that France followed an 'ups and down trend' is vague, and the description of the USA reaching 75% in 2020 is not fully supported by the provided graph. While the main features are highlighted, the analysis could be more thorough by grouping countries more effectively rather than listing them individually. The response addresses all parts of the task but lacks the analytical depth required for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'First of all', and 'Besides', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the referencing is occasionally weak, particularly when comparing multiple countries. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different groups of data, which helps the reader follow the information. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the flow between sentences could be improved for better cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors. For example, 'obese rates' should be 'obesity rates', 'gradual rose' should be 'gradual rise', and 'slow rose' should be 'slow rise'. The phrase 'ups and down trend' is non-standard. While the student attempts to use descriptive language like 'peak' and 'sharp increase', the errors in word form and collocation prevent the vocabulary from being considered flexible or precise. The range is sufficient to convey the main points but lacks sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('USA experienced highest proportion', 'overweight rates was'), incorrect verb forms ('reach a peak' instead of 'reached a peak'), and missing articles. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction is often repetitive. While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these errors indicates that the student has not yet mastered complex structures, keeping the score in the mid-range.

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