Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-22

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graphs below show the number of drivers in Britain who have been caught driving too fast by speed cameras placed on roads, and the number of people killed in road accidents, over an eight-year period since the introduction of speed cameras. The tables show the results of a survey on people's opinions on speed cameras.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

SPEED CAMERA FINES and ROAD ACCIDENT FATALITIES

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The graphs illustrate the speed camera fines and road accident fatalities , over an eight-year period since the introduction of speed cameras.

Overall, it is evident that speed camera fines represented a significant increase, whereas the number of people killed in road accidents gradually declined.

Regarding the penalties of overspeeding, fines stood at [redacted phone] in one year, while it gradually increased to [redacted phone] in 3 years before climbing sharply to [redacted phone] in 8 years. However, I believe that reasons for installation are to raise revenue by 71% and to improve road safety by 26%.

Turning to the road accident, nearly 30000 accidents occurred in 1 year, while it steadily rose to about 3500 in 2 years and remained stable till 3 years before declining slightly to 30000 in 4 years, showing slight fluctuations. From then on, it increased approximately to 3500 in 8 years.

Furthermore, I think the number of accidents is reduced by 36% because the results according to the graph showed less contribution to people's mortality rate. On the other hand, I believe there should be 56% of surveillance cameras on the road to reduce more death rates.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to maintain an objective tone, which is essential for Academic Task 1. You included personal opinions such as 'I believe that reasons for installation are to raise revenue' and 'I think the number of accidents is reduced'. In IELTS Academic writing, you must report only the data provided without adding personal commentary or subjective analysis. Furthermore, there are significant inaccuracies in data interpretation; for example, you state the accident rate rose to 3500 in 2 years, but the graph shows figures in the tens of thousands. The report lacks a clear, accurate summary of the trends, and the inclusion of personal beliefs significantly detracts from the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression is hindered by the inclusion of irrelevant personal opinions. While some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'Regarding', and 'Turning to' are used, they are often followed by confusing or inaccurate data descriptions. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the survey results, which makes the flow of information disjointed. To improve, focus on linking the data points more logically and ensure that each paragraph serves to describe the visual information clearly without digressing into personal interpretation.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You rely on basic verbs like 'increased', 'declined', and 'rose'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'penalties of overspeeding' (should be 'fines for speeding') and 'less contribution to people's mortality rate' (which is imprecise). The vocabulary used is sufficient to convey basic meaning, but it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. To improve, incorporate more specific terminology related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', 'remained constant', or 'a marginal decrease'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For instance, 'fines stood at 200000 in one year, while it gradually increased' contains a pronoun-antecedent disagreement ('it' should be 'they'). There are also issues with punctuation and article usage. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles when referring to data points. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy will help improve this score.

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

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