Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-15

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 SHOWS THE NUMBER OF FATAL, SERIOUS AND SLIGHT INJURIES RESULTING FROM GUN AND KNIFE CRIME IN GREAT BRITAIN FROM 1998 TO 2007. IT ALSO GIVE THE PERCENTAGE FOR EACH TYPE OF INJURY OVER THE TIMEFRAME.

OVERALL, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INJURIES INCREASED DURING THE PERIOD. SLIGHT INJURIES FAR BY MOST COMMON, WHILE FATAL INJURIES WERE THE LEAST COMMON.

IN [redacted phone], THERE WERE 49 FATAL INJURIES, 162 SERIOUS INJURIES AND 653 SLIGHT INJURIES GIVING A TOTAL OF 864 CASES. OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, ALL THREE CATEGORIES GENERALLY INCREASED. IN [redacted phone] THE FIGURE HAD RISEN TO 95 FATA, 392 SERIOUS, 1390 SLIGHT, AND TOTAL OF 1877 INJURIES. THE TOTAL CONTINUED GROW AND REACHED A PEAK OF 3912 CASES IN [redacted phone]. ALTHOUGH THE TOTAL FELL SLIGHTLY TO 3821 IN [redacted phone].

THE FATAL INJURIES ROSE BY 18% COMPARED WITH 194% FOR SERIOUS INJURIES AND 405% FOR SLIGHT INJURIES SHOWING THAT THE LESS EXPERIENCE TO DRAMATIC GROWTH.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the overall rise in injuries and correctly note that slight injuries were most common and fatal injuries least common. Several figures are also reported accurately, including the 1998–99 total and the 2004–05 peak. However, the response is incomplete: it does not describe the later fall in the total in much detail, omits the 2005–06 category figures, and does not explain that the 2006–07 data are only available for fatal injuries. The final comparison of percentage increases is relevant, but “the less experience” is unclear and the 342% increase in the total is omitted. The response is 131 words, below the 150-word minimum; 24 words copied from the prompt were not counted. Develop the key comparisons more fully and clarify the percentage figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph describing yearly figures, and a final comparison of percentage increases. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “Over the next two years” and “Although” attempt to connect events. However, progression is limited because the yearly figures are listed in sequence without a clear grouping of trends, and the final sentence is difficult to follow. The sentence beginning “Although the total fell slightly” is also left as a fragment rather than connected to the preceding statement. Organise the body around the main trends—for example, the early rise, the later peak and decline, then the percentage changes—and use linking phrases accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the table, including “fatal,” “serious,” “slight,” “increased,” “reached a peak,” and “fell slightly.” These terms help communicate the main categories and movements. However, the range is limited and some word choices or phrases are inaccurate or unclear. “The percentage for each type” is imprecise because the table gives percentage increases, while “far by most common” and “the less experience to dramatic growth” do not express the intended comparisons naturally. There are also spelling or word-form slips, such as “FATA.” Aim for precise collocations such as “accounted for the largest share” and “experienced the sharpest increase,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and most of the numerical information remains understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven. The introduction has a subject–verb agreement error in “It also give,” and the sentence “Although the total fell slightly to 3821 in 2005-2006” is incomplete because the subordinate clause has no main clause. In “the figure had risen to 95 fatal, 392 serious, 1390 slight, and total of 1877 injuries,” the list lacks consistent grammatical framing and an article before “total.” There are also punctuation and spacing problems, including a run-on feel in the final comparison. Practise complete complex sentences and consistent structures for reporting figures, while checking agreement, articles and sentence boundaries.

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