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 fatal, serious and slight injuries from gun and knife in Great Britain from 1998 to 2007, together with the percentage over the period.

Overall, the number of injuries increased substantially over the period, with slight injuries accounting for the largest proportion throughtout the period. Serious injuries also showed considerable growth, whereas fatal injuries fluctuated rather following the trend.

In [redacted phone], there were 864 injuries in total including 653 slight injuries. The total figure then rose steadily over the following years, reaching to 2367 in [redacted phone]. It further increased to 3912 in [redacted phone] before slightly to 3821 in [redacted phone]. A similar pattern can be seen in slight injuries, which increased to 652 to 1862 in between [redacted phone] to [redacted phone], before rising sharply to 3424 in [redacted phone]. The figure then decreased slightly to 3296 in [redacted phone].

The number of serious injuries also increased overall, from 162 in [redacted phone] to 476 in [redacted phone]. However, the figure didnot rise consistently, increasing to 437 in [redacted phone], falling to 411 in [redacted phone] and reaching the peak at 476 in [redacted phone]. The fatal injuries showed a fluctuating pattern. They rose from 49 in [redacted phone] to at peak 95 in [redacted phone], before declining to 68 in and 49 in [redacted phone]. The figure then rose slightly at 58 in [redacted phone].

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response presents an overview with main trends and some data points, which allows it to touch upon all parts of the prompt. However, the treatment of the data is incomplete and contains several inaccuracies. For instance, the opening sentence omits the word 'crime' after 'gun and knife', and the text misses key information regarding the final year (2006-2007, where data for serious, slight, and total are missing in the table except for fatal). Furthermore, the percentage increase statistics provided at the bottom of the table are largely neglected, and there are mechanical errors in reporting specific figures, such as stating 'In 1998-1998' instead of 1998-1999 and claiming that slight injuries increased 'to 652 to 1862'. To reach a higher level, the student needs to select and report data more accurately, ensure all prominent trends are clearly articulated without numerical confusions, and avoid omitting major parts of the provided dataset.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overall summary, and subsequent body paragraphs dealing with specific categories of injuries. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1998-1998', 'The total figure then', and 'However'. Nevertheless, the progression of ideas is occasionally hindered by mechanical or faulty referencing, such as the unclear pronoun reference in 'before slightly to 3821' where a verb is missing, and awkward transitional phrases. Cohesive devices are sometimes used repetitively or mechanically rather than naturally. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, the writer should ensure smoother transitions between sentences, maintain strict chronological and categorical clarity, and avoid abrupt or grammatically incomplete clauses that disrupt the flow of information.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with successful attempts at less common and topic-specific items such as 'proportion', 'fluctuated', 'steadily', and 'consistently'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies, word-choice errors, and incomplete phrases. For example, the student writes 'gun and knife' instead of 'gun and knife crime', refers to the percentage as 'the percentage over the period' rather than 'percentage increase', and makes collocational or omission slips such as 'before slightly to 3821' and 'at peak 95'. Spelling is generally fine, but lexical control is inconsistent. To achieve a higher band, the writer must use less common vocabulary with greater precision, ensure accurate collocations, and refine word choices to avoid awkward phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting various time clauses and passive or active reporting verbs. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward syntactic constructions that cause some difficulty for the reader. Examples include missing verbs ('before slightly to 3821'), incorrect prepositions or articles, tense confusion, and phrasing errors such as 'didnot rise consistently, increasing to 437 in 2003-2004, falling to 411 in 2005-2006 and reaching the peak at 476 in 2005-2006' (where the chronological sequence and final data points are jumbled). Control over complex sentence forms remains limited, and punctuation and agreement errors persist. To elevate this criterion, the writer needs to increase grammatical accuracy, carefully proofread complex structures, and ensure that every sentence contains a complete and correct verb phrase.

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