Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-11-03

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 figure of fatal, serious and minor injuries due to gun and knife crime in Great Britain between 1998 and 2007 and the proportional increase for each degree of injury throughout the period.

Overall, the total number of injuries increased over the period. Slight injuries accounted for the highest increase throughout the period followed by the category of serious injuries. Proportional increase for fatal injuries are the lowest for the given period.

The total number of these injuries increased rapidly over the period.Highest number of injuries was between [redacted phone] with 3912 total injuries.Percentage increase over the given period is 342% which is massive. Fatal injuries accounted for the lowest proportion with 18% increase.

Highest number of fatal injuries was between 2001 and 2002 with 95 total injuries.

Slight injuries accounted for the highest increase with 405%. Highest number of this category was between [redacted phone] with 3424.Lowest recorded injuries was 653 from 1998 to 1999.Serious Injuries has the second highest increase of percentage with 194%. Highest number of this category was 476 from 2005 to 2006.

Only 58 injuries was reported from [redacted phone]. No other category was reported in these years .

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad upward trend and correctly note that slight injuries had the largest percentage increase (405%), followed by serious injuries (194%), while fatal injuries rose least (18%). Several selected figures are also accurate, including the 95 fatal injuries in 2001–02 and 3,424 slight injuries in 2004–05. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not clearly describe how the total and injury categories changed across the years, and the claim that 2005–06 had the highest total is incorrect; the peak was 3,912 in 2004–05. You also say 476 was the highest serious-injury figure, but it occurred in 2005–06, not 2004–05. Develop the main trends more fully and distinguish the final year, for which only fatal injuries are reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, beginning with an introduction and overview before giving details about totals and injury categories. This helps the reader identify the topic and some key comparisons. However, progression between points is limited: the overview repeats information later, and the body paragraphs do not group the data consistently. For example, the total figures, fatal injuries, and percentage changes are mixed together, while the final sentence about 2006–07 is detached from the discussion of missing data. Linking phrases such as “Overall” and “followed by” are useful, but several sentences read as a list of separate observations. Organise the body by trends or categories and use clearer links to show how each detail supports the overview.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportional increase,” “accounted for,” and “recorded,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is some variation in how you refer to the data, although “injuries” and “increase” recur frequently. A few choices are imprecise or unnatural: “minor injuries” is less consistent with the table’s label “slight,” and “massive” is too informal for an academic report. “Highest number of this category” is understandable but could be expressed more precisely as “the figure peaked at.” Also take care with word forms and capitalization, as in “Serious Injuries.” More precise, neutral reporting language would make the comparisons clearer and more appropriately academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use mostly straightforward sentence patterns, with some attempts at more complex phrasing, such as “Slight injuries accounted for the highest increase … followed by the category of serious injuries.” However, grammatical control is uneven, and errors sometimes make the relationships between figures less clear. For example, “Proportional increase for fatal injuries are the lowest” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “Highest number of injuries was between 2005-2006” is missing an article and uses an awkward sentence structure. In “Only 58 injuries was reported,” the plural subject requires a plural verb. Punctuation and spacing also need attention, particularly where sentences run directly into the next one. Practise accurate agreement, articles, and complete sentence construction.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.