Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-11

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 the rates of the past and assumed future increase in weight in 9 countries over five decades from 1970 to 2020.

Overall, in all 9 countries the rates went through ups and downs but USA has the highest rate of 75% and Korea had the lowest rate which is around 35% in 2020. There is a signifant rise in the overweight rate of USA, England and Australia and Canada, Spain, Italy, France, Austria and Korea show a steady rise with some declines.

The USA started at the rate of just above 45% in 1974 which declined to 42% in 1978 and went up in the following years with an expected rate of 75% in 2020. England, Canada and Spain had kind of similar rates ranging from 42 to 49% in the earlier years and only the rates of England went higher with an assumed rate of just below 70% whereas Canada and Spain showed less rise with an expected rate of 55% in the future. Austria had a rate of 33% that incresed in a steady manner until 2007 where had a decline to 43% and again rose up and expected rate is 46% in future. Italy and France rates also went up from 37% and 31% respectively and r have an expected rate of 45% in future. Korea had the lowest rate in 1998 of 25% and went through steady rise and has an expected rate of 35% in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide an overview and cover all nine countries, identifying the USA as highest and Korea as lowest by 2020, with broadly rising trends. Several comparisons are relevant, such as England ending just below 70% and Canada and Spain at about 55%. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the USA begins around 45% in 1972, not 1974, and its early low is about 43%, rather than the dates and figures given. Austria starts near 39%, not 33%, and its fluctuations are not described accurately. The overview also says all countries experienced ups and downs, although several show mostly steady increases. More precise selection and reporting of key trends, especially Australia’s substantial rise, would make the summary more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph comparing groups of countries. This gives the reader a general route through the information. However, the body paragraph places many countries and figures into long, crowded sentences, so comparisons are sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the sentence beginning “England, Canada and Spain” moves between three countries and several end values without clearly separating their trends. Linking is also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “and,” while “whereas” is used to contrast outcomes but the sentence remains overloaded. Grouping countries into two shorter paragraphs and using clearer references and transitions would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “rates,” “declined,” “steady rise,” and “expected rate,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph: “increase in weight” is less suitable than “proportion of people who were overweight,” and “went through ups and downs” is informal. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “signifant” and “incresed,” and the phrase “kind of similar rates” is conversational. Repeated use of “rate” and “rise” limits variety. Aim for accurate, formal collocations such as “rose gradually,” “fluctuated,” and “reached a projected level,” while checking spelling and avoiding informal fillers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons with “whereas” and clauses describing changes over time. Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward sentence construction reduce clarity. For example, “Austria had a rate of 33% that incresed … until 2007 where had a decline” lacks a clear subject in the final clause and uses an unsuitable relative construction. In “Italy and France rates also went up,” the possessive form is missing, and “and r have” appears to contain an editing error. Check subject–verb relationships, articles and possessives, and divide long sentences into shorter units. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.