Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-13

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)

These line graphs and tables provide data about the quantity of given speeding tickets compared to that of road accident fatalities over an eight year period of time added to a survey of peoples points of view when it comes to speed cameras in the uk.

Overall, the speed camera fines seem to show an upward trend, starting gradually and than steeply. Whereas, road accident fatalities fluctuated slightly up and down over the period. When asked about speeding cameras, the public tend to have a strict opinion as a small proportion of it responded with i don't know.

The number of speed camera fines was at [redacted phone] in the first year and doubbled by the third year. In contrast, road accidents fatalities only increased slightly, from just above 3000 to approximately 3300 in the same period. Fatalities caused by road accidents then fluctuated reaching the lowest point of 3000 in the fourth year. Whereas, the speeding tickets kept on going up, marking the biggest diparity between the 6 and seventh years, with approximately [redacted phone] and [redacted phone] respectively.

60% people think that speed cameras are unable to reduce the number of accidents. Similarly, 71% of them believe that the main reason for the installation of speed cameras is to raise revenue. In contrast, only 26% think they were made to improve road safety.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of the trends for both the graphs and the survey data. The writer successfully highlights key features, such as the upward trend in speed camera fines and the fluctuating pattern of road accident fatalities, as well as citing specific data points like '200000 in the first year' and the percentages from the survey. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reading the data, such as describing the fines reaching 1200000 in the seventh year when the graph scale indicates something slightly different, and the overview could be slightly more fully developed. Overall, the task is adequately addressed in line with Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors, though it sits comfortably at a solid Band 6.0 due to some under-developed interpretation of the survey figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, a body paragraph dedicated to the graphs, and a final paragraph focusing on the survey results. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different datasets. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'Similarly', which help guide the reader through the information. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical, and logical progression is slightly disrupted by minor organisational jumps between the data points. Pronoun referencing like 'a small proportion of it' is slightly awkward. This aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'disparity', 'fatalities', and 'revenue'. However, there are several lexical errors and poor word choices, such as 'quantity of given speeding tickets' instead of 'number of fines issued', spelling errors like 'doubbled', and capitalization issues like 'uk'. Phrases such as 'strict opinion' and 'made to improve' lack natural collocation. While communication is not impeded and the vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the information, these frequent minor errors and inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band score, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing comparative structures like 'Whereas, road accident fatalities fluctuated' and subordinate clauses. However, there are noticeable grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including lowercase starting letters for sentences, missing commas in introductory phrases, and awkward punctuation (e.g., 'starting gradually and than steeply' with a misspelling of 'then'). Capitalization is missed in 'uk' and '60% people'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the writer demonstrates control over basic sentence patterns alongside attempts at more complex structures. This performance matches the criteria for Band 6.0.

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

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