Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-17

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how a mechanical arm works, and how the joints that make up the arm function in the same way as those in a human arm. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The diagram depicts a mechanical arm which is similar to a human arm. This arm is controlled by a computer which further allows all the movements and gives flexibility to the arm. Furthermore, it has a built-in sensors which controls the force and allows the arm to have a grip as well. The base is stationary and only moves occasionally. The pivot enables the arm to rotate and wrist allows to flex and rotate just like spray paint or drill holes or weld metals.Shoulder enables it to raise and lower arm. This artificial arm can be a boom in the field of science and can help many people who have amputed hand.It can perform the same function similar to human hand.This technological advancement can also support robotic surgeries.Nowdays,many medical practioners are using this robotic hand to conduct critical surgeries without touching human body .In a recent article a doctor has done critical surgery by sitting in another country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to adequately address the requirements of an Academic Task 1 report. Instead of providing a clear, objective summary of the mechanical arm's components and their functions as shown in the diagram, the response shifts into a discussion about the medical applications of robotic arms. The prompt asks for a description of the mechanism, but the student spends the latter half of the text discussing amputees and remote surgery, which is external information not present in the diagram. Consequently, the key features of the mechanical arm are not fully reported or compared, and the response lacks a clear overview of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into two paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is disjointed. While there is some attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'Nowdays', the transition between describing the mechanical arm and discussing medical applications is abrupt and lacks logical flow. The paragraphing is also unbalanced, with the second paragraph focusing on irrelevant external information rather than the diagram provided. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall structure does not effectively guide the reader through the information presented in the visual prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the precision and range required for a high-scoring report. There are several errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'a boom in the field' (likely meant 'boon') and 'amputed hand' (should be 'amputated'). The phrase 'Nowdays' is a spelling error. While the student attempts to use technical terms like 'stationary', 'pivot', and 'robotic surgeries', the overall lexical range is limited, and the misuse of certain words occasionally hinders the clarity of the description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Examples include 'it has a built-in sensors' (subject-verb agreement error), 'wrist allows to flex' (missing object), and 'a doctor has done critical surgery' (incorrect tense usage). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods in several instances. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band score.

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