Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-01

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 given line graph compares the overweight rates (in %) between nine selected countries, from the past and with the future projections.

Overall, every country saw an in increase in the weight but out of them all USA had the most, while the other countries had steady increase while Korea had the least projected proportion in overweight.

In 1970, the USA had about 45% of proportion in overweight, which later experienced a uniform increase after 1990, which is projected to increase by 30% in 2020, while countries such as Austria and Spain had their initial records from 1985, which were around 40% and 45% respectively, they experienced fluctuations after they year 2000 but lastly, they also increased, additionally the projected proportions are 45% and 55%.

In 1990, Australia, France and England had less proportions, nearly to about- 35%, 30%, and 45%, these countries also faced fluctuations but France experienced an increase of about 15%, while a significant increase was observed in England as it is projected to have the second highest overweight ratio followed by Australia.

After 5years, the initial records from Canada, Italy and Korea stood at nearly 50%, 35% and 25% respectively, over the years Canada is projected to have an increment of 5%, and other two countries will have an increment by 10%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, but the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. While you identify the general trend of increasing overweight rates, the specific data points are often inaccurate or poorly interpreted. For instance, stating the USA had 45% in 1970 is not supported by the visual data provided. Furthermore, the grouping of countries is slightly confusing, and the description of 'fluctuations' is vague without specific reference to the years or the extent of these changes. To improve, ensure you carefully extract data points and focus on clear, comparative highlights rather than listing figures for every country, which can lead to inaccuracies.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. Phrases like 'which later experienced' and 'these countries also faced' are used, but the logical flow between sentences is sometimes weak. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is abrupt. Additionally, some sentences are overly long and cluttered, making it difficult to track the progression of ideas. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'increase', 'proportion', and 'records'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'had less proportions' and 'the other two countries will have an increment by 10%'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little attempt to use more sophisticated or academic language to describe trends (e.g., 'upward trajectory', 'plateaued', 'surged'). Expanding your range of synonyms for describing data trends will help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include incorrect preposition usage ('increment by 10%'), subject-verb agreement problems, and awkward phrasing ('which is projected to increase by 30% in 2020'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas in long, run-on sentences. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence boundary control and subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.

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