Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-11-02

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 compares past and current overweight rates, as well as a projected future overweight rate in nine selected countries, measured in percentage.

Overall, USA hed the largest figures for most for the period, while Korea hed the smallest. In addition, Australia showed the biggest change, and Austria remained fairly stable.

USA stood at 45% in 1980, before rising to 60% in 2000 and finally 75% in 2020. Similarly, Canada change from 50% to 55 % which was the small change. Italy was also notable, 35% in 1990 and 45% in 2020. This made the USA leading category.

In contract, Austria change only slightly, from 39 % in 1980 and to 45% in 2020. Italy remained relatively stable at around 39%. Korea was the lowest in most years, recording just 25% in 2000 to 35% in 2020. This showed the gap between the largest and smallest widened.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad pattern that the USA was highest and Korea lowest, and you include several relevant figures, such as the USA reaching about 75% in 2020 and Korea rising from 25% to 35%. However, the response only partially covers the graph: Australia’s substantial rise, highlighted in the overview, is not supported with figures, and the claim that Austria remained fairly stable is not well balanced against its increase to about 46.5%. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the USA figure is about 45% in 1972, not 1980, and Italy’s starting value is about 37% in 1995, not 35% in 1990. The response is also 19 words below the 150-word minimum, limiting its development. Add a fuller overview and accurate comparisons across more countries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and signposts such as “Overall” and “In contrast” help indicate relationships. However, progression is limited: the country details are presented as a list rather than grouped into clear comparisons, and the final sentence about the widening gap is not supported with figures or explanation. Some links are also awkward or unclear, as in “Italy was also notable” followed by “This made the USA leading category.” The contrast paragraph repeats Italy after it has already been mentioned, without adding a clear new comparison. Organise the details into groups—for example, the highest-rising countries and the lower-rate countries—and use references that make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main subject, including “overweight rates,” “largest figures,” “smallest,” and “remained relatively stable.” There is also some attempt to describe change with “rising” and “widened.” However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “USA leading category,” “the small change,” and “In contract.” Spelling errors in “hed” and “change” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the general message, but they make the report less precise. Build a more varied set of trend expressions, such as “increased steadily,” “rose sharply,” and “recorded the lowest proportion,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a few different sentence patterns, including a complex sentence with “before rising” and a contrast introduced by “while.” Most sentences remain simple, however, and errors recur in verb forms and sentence construction. For example, “Canada change” and “Austria change” need past-tense verbs, while “from 39% in 1980 and to 45% in 2020” has an incorrect preposition pattern. The sentence “Italy was also notable, 35% in 1990 and 45% in 2020” is a fragment because the figures are not connected to a complete clause. There are also inconsistent spaces before percentage signs. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and use complete comparison structures, such as “Canada rose from about 50% to 55%.”

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