Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-19
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 outlines the stages and function of an mechanical arm and its attachments.
Overall, the robotic arm shows the structure of human arm, featuring various joints of motors that allow it to move, rotate and a gripper to control force.
Looking at the main structure, the robot stand on a base, which is generally movable. Above the base, a pivot to rotate the arm. The arm itself consist as a shoulder to raise and lower the arm, and an elbow joint to provide more flexibility and movement. Each of these function conducted by a single motor.
At the end of arm, a wrist joint allows the attached tool to roate and flexible,this tool is a gripper which built inn sensors to control force and it is fuctioned by a diffrent motor. alternatively the gripper is replaced with the spray paint, drill holes, weld metals.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the diagram, explaining the structural components of the mechanical arm such as the base, pivot, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and gripper, as well as alternative end-effectors. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the visual data: the student states that the base is 'generally movable' when the diagram specifies it is 'usually stationary/occasionally movable', and that the pivot is 'to rotate the arm' without fully capturing its scope. Furthermore, the length requirement of 150 words was not met, as the response contains 145 words, which impacts the overall completeness of the task. Consequently, these minor omissions and the under-length penalty restrict the score to a band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text exhibits a logical attempt at organisation, beginning with an introduction, moving to an overview, describing the main structure from the base upwards, and finishing with the end-effectors. Paragraphing is used to separate these ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical, with awkward transitions like 'Looking at the main structure' and repetitive sentence openings. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'each of these function conducted by a single motor', making the logical progression bumpy in places. Overall, the organizational structure is adequate for a band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts a range of task-specific vocabulary including 'mechanical arm', 'joints', 'pivot', 'shoulder', and 'end-effectors'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'an mechanical' instead of 'a mechanical', 'stand' instead of 'stands', 'consist as' instead of 'consists of', 'roate' instead of 'rotate', 'built inn' instead of 'built-in', and 'fuctioned' instead of 'functioned'. While the vocabulary used is minimally adequate to convey the basic mechanical process, these errors indicate a limited control over lexical items, justifying a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the robot stand', 'each of these function conducted'), missing copula verbs ('a pivot to rotate'), and incorrect prepositional usage. Furthermore, run-on sentences and comma splices occur, as seen in 'allows the attached tool to roate and flexible,this tool is a gripper...'. While communication is not entirely blocked, the accumulation of errors places this response firmly in the band 5.0 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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