Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-14

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 provides tha data on number of crimes commited by gun and knife in Great Britain from 1998 and 2007. The crimes were divided into three categories, which are fatal, serious and slight injuries.

Overall, total number of crimes were increased from 1998 to 2005, however after 2005 the criminal acts were slightly decreased. Crimes with slight injury were the most popular over the years, whereas fatal crimes were the lowest.

Fatal crimes were constantly increasing each year from 1998 to 2002, however after 2002 number of fatal crimes started declining. After decling for two years it rose again from 2004 to 2005 with 77 crimes, but from 2006 to 2007 the numbers dropped again, to 58. Similarly, for serious and slight crimes the number rose rapidly over the years and kept growing constantly, but from 2004 to 2005 the number in serious crimes fell down to 411, not for long though. Consequently, nomber of slight crime decreased after 2006, to 3296.

The total number of crimes however never stopped increasing until 2006, after which fatal and slight crime contributed to the decreament of total number of crimes. In contrast, over ther years fatal crime has increased by 18%, serious crimes by 194%, and slight by 405%, which is not a good sight for society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and give a broad overview: slight injuries were the most numerous, fatal injuries the fewest, and the overall total rose before falling. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear. The total peaked at 3,912 in 2004–05 and then fell to 3,821 in 2005–06; the table gives no total for 2006–07, so the claim about a decline after 2005 is not supported for that year. Serious injuries did not keep growing constantly: they fell from 437 to 411 in 2004–05, then rose to 476. The percentage increases are also reported inaccurately as applying to the whole period, although the table’s figures refer to the stated comparison years. More precise selection and reporting of these trends would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing injury categories and totals. This helps the reader follow the general subject. However, progression is uneven because several trends are combined in long sentences, and some links are unclear. For example, “Similarly, for serious and slight crimes” suggests that both followed the same pattern, although serious injuries fell in 2004–05 while slight injuries rose sharply. The final paragraph repeats the total trend and adds the percentage figures without a clear transition. Use separate, logically ordered comparisons—for example, one sentence on fatal injuries and another on serious and slight injuries—and ensure linking words such as “however” accurately signal the contrast.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main information, including “fatal,” “serious,” “slight,” “declining” and “percentage.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes parts of the report less precise. “Crimes with slight injury were the most popular” is unsuitable because “popular” suggests preference; “accounted for the most injuries” would fit the data. “Fatal crimes” also confuses the crime with the injury outcome, while “criminal acts” is not a precise substitute for injury figures. Spelling errors such as “commited,” “decling,” “nomber” and “decreament” are noticeable. Aim for accurate data-reporting collocations and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses joined with “however,” “whereas” and “after which.” The main meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms occur throughout. For example, “total number of crimes were increased” has incorrect agreement and an unnatural passive form; “from 1998 and 2007” uses the wrong preposition; and “after 2002 number of fatal crimes” is missing an article. The sentence beginning “Similarly” also becomes difficult to control as several trends are joined together. Practise accurate past-tense reporting, articles and subject–verb agreement, and break long comparisons into shorter sentences. This would make your range of structures clearer and more reliable.

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