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 graphs illustrate the proportion of drivers logged for rash driving caught by speed cameras setup on the road and the number of deaths caused by road accident in Britain over the period of eight-year after introducing the speed cameras. However, the provided table represent the survey of people saying about the speed camera.

Overall, the speed camera was a flop idea to prevent the road accidents. While, the government imposed a fine for violating the traffic rules, people believe it is just a stunt to generate revenue rather than safety for commuters.

Comparing two events, fine collected due to speed limit break and the number of people dead in the road accident. While the amount of fine collected were 200,000 in the initial year, now reaching at around 1,600,000 in the 8th year, recorded a massive spike over the period. In contrast, the number of people killed in road accident remained same followed by two minor decline in 4th and 6th year, reaching at approximately 3,000 in both the year, and levelled off just above 3,000 in the final year.

Additionally, most of the population believe this idea of speed camera was to earn money through fines and it did not stop the road accidents. Besides, half of the people think that there were more number of cameras installed on the road than required, while less than 10% of the people reported that they had no idea.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task, including the graphs and the survey table. However, the analysis is marred by the inclusion of personal opinion, such as stating the speed camera was a 'flop idea'. In an Academic Task 1 report, you must remain objective and avoid personal commentary or subjective conclusions. While you identified key trends, such as the increase in fines and the relative stability of fatalities, the interpretation of the survey data is slightly superficial. To improve, focus strictly on reporting the data provided without evaluating the effectiveness of the policies described.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs covering the graphs and the table respectively. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast', 'Additionally', and 'Besides', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The overview is clearly identifiable, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow between sentences could be smoother; for instance, the transition from the graph analysis to the survey data is abrupt. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner, and paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different data sets.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'imposed', 'commuters', and 'levelled off'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'rash driving' (which is not a standard term for speeding) and 'flop idea'. Additionally, there are minor errors in phrasing, such as 'the number of people dead' instead of 'the number of road fatalities'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding informal or emotive language when describing data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the provided table represent'), incorrect article usage ('in the 8th year'), and awkward phrasing ('the number of people dead in the road accident'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. To improve, pay closer attention to pluralization and the correct use of prepositions when describing trends over time.

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

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