Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-29

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 5.5)

The given group of column graph depicts the information about 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. Moreover, the table represent the results of a survey on people's opinions on speed cameras.

Overall, it is crystal clear that from the introduction of speed cameras, the number of drivers fined for over-speed has been continuously rising whereas the number of road accidents death have has been fluctuating during the period. However, people have mixed opinions on speed cameras.

At a fleeting glance, the number of drivers having fined for over-speed has been rising in an upward trend. At the beginning of speed camera introduction it was 200,000 and slowly increased during six years by approximately near to 800,000. From the sixth year it has increased dramatically by nearly 1200,000 in seventh year and by almost 1600,000 by eighth year. However, in the second graph, we see that the number of death by road accidents has been in a fluctuation. In the first three years it was from 3000 to nearly 3500. The numbers suddenly fell down in the fourth year. By the way, again it has been raised in a fluctuating stream by nearly 3500 in the eighth years. Here we can see that although the number of drivers having fired has been in an upward trend, the number of deaths for accidents has been in fluctuation and around in the same number.

Moving further, the table presents the findings of the survey on public opinion regarding speed camera. Most of the people disagree that the speed cameras reduce accidents, and they account for 60%, whereas only 8% of people has no opinion. After that, regarding the reason for speed cameras 71% people think that those are just for raising revenue whereas only 26% think that those are for road safety. Lastly, most people think that there are too many cameras on the road, and fewer people think that the number of cameras is not enough, or those are just right.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task, including the graphs and the survey tables. You have identified the main trends and provided supporting data. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, stating the number of fines increased by '1200,000' is confusing and likely a misinterpretation of the scale. Additionally, the description of the accident fatalities as 'fluctuating' is accurate, but the comparison between the two datasets could be more analytical. To reach a higher band, ensure that the data points cited are precise and that the comparison between the trends is more clearly articulated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for the graphs and the table respectively. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Moving further' to connect ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or unnatural, such as 'At a fleeting glance' or 'By the way'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to create a more sophisticated progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuating', 'upward trend', and 'revenue'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'drivers having fired' (likely meant 'fined') and 'number of death by road accidents'. These errors occasionally impede the clarity of the message. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends and ensure that word forms are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the table represent', 'only 8% of people has no opinion') and incorrect verb forms ('death has been in a fluctuation'). While these errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. Increasing your control over basic grammar and punctuation, particularly with pluralization and verb tense consistency, would significantly improve your score.

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

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