Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The bar charts and line graph below show the results of a survey conducted over a three-year period to discover what people who live in London think of the city.

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

What are the best things about living in London?

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The bar illustrates during a survey what are the best thing for living and worst thing about London by people feed backs in three years.

Overall, people give highest percentage of best thing to range of shops, while they give least important to other things. People gives the highest percentage of negative feedback to transport system.

Range of shops accounted for around 40% to 50% positive feedback in all three years. Job opportunities conducted similar response from people in year 2 and 3. People choose mixture of people for 35% in all year. Museum and art galleries conducted for around 30% to 39%, while people give less important to night life only 22% overall and transport conducted around 20% to 23%.

In worst things, people give the highest negative review on cost of living 57% in year 1 after that, it fell in year 2 and 3. Traffic congestion accounted for similar percentage 55% in year 2 and 3.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying key trends such as the popularity of shops and the negative sentiment regarding the cost of living. However, the report lacks a clear overview of the data as a whole, and some data points are presented in a way that is difficult to follow. For instance, the description of 'mixture of people' and 'museum and art galleries' lacks precision in comparison to the provided data. The report would benefit from a more structured approach to grouping the information and ensuring all trends are accurately described.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate, such as the phrase 'after that, it fell in year 2 and 3'. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly when moving between the positive and negative aspects of the survey. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that referencing is clear would significantly enhance the flow of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'conducted similar response' and 'give least important'. These errors occasionally impede the clarity of the report. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations related to data description, such as 'reported', 'accounted for', or 'experienced', and ensure that nouns and verbs are used in appropriate contexts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('People gives', 'bar illustrates... what are the best thing'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing ('by people feed backs'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.

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

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