Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-01

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 6.5)

The graphs illustrate the number of drivers in Britain who were caught speeding by roadside cameras and the number of people killed in road accidents over an eight-year period following the introduction of speed cameras.

Overall, the number of speeding drivers detected increased dramatically throughout the period, particularly during the final three years. By contrast, the number of road-accident fatalities fluctuated within a relatively narrow range and showed no clear downward trend.

In the first year, approximately 200,000 drivers were caught speeding. This figure then rose steadily to around 300,000 in Year 2, 400,000 in Year 3, and 500,000 in Year 4. The number continued to increase, reaching roughly 600,000 in Year 5 and 800,000 in Year 6. Thereafter, the growth became considerably more pronounced, with about 1.2 million drivers being caught in Year 7 and a peak of approximately 1.6 million in Year 8. Thus, the number of speeding offences detected was about eight times higher at the end of the period than at the beginning.

The pattern for road fatalities was markedly different. Around 3,100 deaths were recorded in Year 1, after which the figure climbed slightly to approximately 3,300 in Years 2 and 3. It subsequently fell to about 3,000 in Year 4, before rising again to roughly 3,150 in Year 5. The number dipped marginally in Year 6, at around 3,050, and then increased to approximately 3,200 in Year 7 and 3,300 in the final year.

In summary, while the number of speeding drivers detected by cameras rose substantially and consistently, road fatalities remained relatively stable, fluctuating between approximately 3,000 and 3,300 deaths per year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the prompt only partially, which keeps it at a lower band level. While the writer successfully describes the graphs regarding speed camera fines and road accident fatalities over the eight-year period, there is a major omission: the response completely ignores the survey tables provided in the prompt about people's opinions on speed cameras. The official descriptors require candidates to address all parts of the task, and omitting an entire visual component of the prompt—in this case, the survey data—prevents the report from achieving a higher score. Furthermore, while the trends described for the two graphs are generally accurate, the failure to integrate the survey data means key information from the task has been missed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and coherent arrangement of ideas, fully satisfying the requirements of the lower band while showing glimpses of higher-level organisation. Information is logically sequenced from an introduction to body paragraphs detailing the graphs and concluding with a summary. Paragraphing is used effectively, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct visual element. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'By contrast,' 'In the first year,' and 'In summary' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data, although referencing and transitions occasionally feel somewhat formulaic, preventing it from reaching the highest bands of cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The lexical resource is a strong point in this response, displaying a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report. The writer successfully uses less common items and precise reporting verbs and nouns, such as 'fluctuated', 'pronounced', 'diminished marginally', and 'substantially'. Word choice and collocations are generally natural, and spelling is accurate throughout. Minor inaccuracies are extremely rare, and the vocabulary allows for precise descriptions of the trends shown in the charts, reflecting the characteristics of a well-developed lexical performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

Grammatical control is exceptional, featuring a wide range of complex structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are completely error-free, demonstrating excellent command of subordinate clauses, past tense narrative structures for trends, and precise prepositional phrases (e.g., 'peaked at approximately 1.6 million in Year 8'). Punctuation is handled flawlessly. Although the grammar is largely faultless, the minor limitations keeping it at this tier relate primarily to the range of varied syntactic forms beyond standard academic reporting patterns, yet it remains a highly polished grammatical performance.

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

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