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 table shows the number of fatal, serious and slight injuries resulting from gun and knife crime in Great Britain from 1998 to 2007 and the percentage increase for each degree of injury over the period.

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

Great Britain - Gun and Knife Crime statistics - 1998-2007

Great Britain - Gun and Knife Crime statistics - 1998-2007

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The table illustrates the data of injuries resulting from gun and knife crime in Great Britain from 1998 to 2007. The table include fatal, serious, slight and total injuries and the percentage increase for each degree of injury over the period.

Overall, the number of serious and slight injuries increased every year while the number of fatal injuries did not stayed consistent they fluctuated over the given period. The highest number of total injuries were in year 2007 and the lowest number was in the yearly years mentioned in table.

The fatal injuries went up and down in the start of table they were around 49 later, in 4 years the amount rose up to the 95 numbers. But it did not kept increasing. over the coming years from 2002 to 2007 the number of fatal injuries varied alot between 80 and 49. The percentage increase was 18 in fatal injuries.

Serious and slight injuries increased steadily from 1998 to 2007. The serious injuries went from 162 to 476 showing 194% increase in contrast, the slight injuries rocketed up from a mere 653 to 3296 with the most percentage of 405 in the gun and knife statistics.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, including the overall trends and specific figures for fatal, serious, and slight injuries. You successfully identified the significant growth in slight injuries and the fluctuating nature of fatal injuries. However, the report could be improved by providing a more precise comparison between the categories. For instance, while you mention the total injuries, you could have explicitly compared the scale of slight injuries against the others to highlight the disparity. The overview is present but could be more clearly separated from the body paragraphs to ensure the main trends are immediately apparent to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. There is a clear progression of ideas, moving from general trends to specific data points. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition between sentences could be smoother; phrases like 'in contrast' are used correctly, but the overall flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing. Referencing is generally clear, but the connection between the data points and the analysis could be strengthened with more varied linking words to improve the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'varied', and 'steadily'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation that hinder the sophistication of the response. For example, 'yearly years' is redundant and incorrect, and 'the amount rose up to the 95 numbers' is unnatural phrasing. Additionally, 'most percentage' is not the standard way to describe the highest growth rate. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive or slightly informal phrasing when describing statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the fluency of the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues such as 'the table include' (should be 'includes') and 'fatal injuries did not stayed consistent' (should be 'did not stay'). There are also tense inconsistencies and errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'in the start of table' and 'varied alot'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will significantly improve your writing.

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

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