Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-01

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

the table illustrates the number of deadly, serious and minor injuries resulting from gun shot and knife crime in great britian between 1998 and 2007 and the number for each injury fluctuated throughout the time period.

Overall, the slight injuries were by the more common type over the period, while fatal injuries were the lowest of all, and throughout the time period some fluctuation occured.

The number of fatal injuries were 49 in 1998-99 while it increased in the following year and rose up to all time high 95 in [redacted phone] then fluctuated in next 4 years and in [redacted phone] it fell down to 58.

Serious injuries were 162 in 1998-99 and it rose up in the following years despite some fluctuations it reached up to all time high numbers which is 476 in [redacted phone].

In the final, slight injuries were 653 in [redacted phone] and number increased with some fluctuation and reached upto all time high number 3424 in [redacted phone].

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the table, outlining trends for fatal, serious, and slight injuries between 1998 and 2007. However, the information presented is at times mechanical and lacks a fully developed overview. While you mention that slight injuries were the most common and fatal ones the lowest, the overall summary is slightly basic. Furthermore, you omit the percentage increase figures provided at the bottom of the table entirely, meaning some parts of the task are only partially addressed. To move to a higher band, you need to ensure all key aspects of the data—including overall percentage changes—are integrated into a more sophisticated overview and thoroughly supported with accurate details from the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic logical arrangement to your writing, with an introductory sentence followed by an overview and separate body paragraphs for each category of injury. However, the progression lacks smooth transitions between ideas, and the paragraphing is underdeveloped—the final paragraph runs awkwardly into the summary of slight injuries. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes repetitive, relying heavily on chronological sequencing ("in 1998-99", "in the following year", "in the final") rather than a broader range of linking words. To improve cohesion, you should ensure that every paragraph has a clear thematic focus and use a more varied toolkit of cohesive phrases to guide the reader effortlessly through comparisons and trends.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, successfully attempting less common synonyms such as "deadly", "fluctuated", and "all time high". However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations that reveal limitations in your word choice, such as writing "gun shot" instead of "gunshot", spelling "britian" with a lowercase letter and incorrect spelling, and stating that slight injuries were "by the more common type". Word forms and prepositions within lexical chunks also need tighter control. To achieve a higher band, you should expand your vocabulary to incorporate precise academic collocations and ensure absolute accuracy in spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Your writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the range remains somewhat limited, and attempts at complexity frequently contain grammatical errors. There are frequent issues with subject-verb agreement and singular/plural consistency, such as "The number of fatal injuries were" instead of "was", and missing articles like "number increased with some fluctuation". Punctuation is also weak, particularly the lack of capitalization for proper nouns and sentences starting with lowercase letters. To progress, you need to demonstrate better control over complex grammatical patterns, ensure accurate verb-subject agreement, and pay closer attention to punctuation and capitalization throughout your text.

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