Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-15

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 5.0)

The bar chart and line graph below illustrate the results of the survey which was conducted for three years to ascertain the views of people residing in London with regards to the city.

Overall, most of the people indicated that worst things happen more than good things in the city scoring 57% and 45% respectively with liter being the major problem that peaked in the second year with 75%.

Among the best things about living in London, the range of shops maintained the highest position throughout the years under review while transport had the lowest views throughout the years.

On the other hand, cost of living,traffic congestion and crime had the highest score in the first year with downward trend in the subsequent years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement. While you have identified some key features, such as the trends for shops and transport, the analysis is superficial and lacks the necessary detail to fully describe the data provided in the charts. Several trends are mentioned in a very general way without specific data points to support the claims. To improve, you must ensure you reach the word count by providing a more comprehensive overview and incorporating specific figures from the charts to illustrate your points, rather than just stating general trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into a brief introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs, which provides a basic logical structure. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall' and 'On the other hand', but the transitions between sentences are occasionally abrupt. The lack of sufficient length makes the overall flow feel underdeveloped. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider range of cohesive devices to link your sentences and paragraphs more fluidly, and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, central focus that is fully supported by the data.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher levels. You use basic terms like 'worst things' and 'good things' instead of more academic alternatives such as 'negative perceptions' or 'positive attributes'. There is also a spelling error ('liter' instead of 'litter') which detracts from the professional tone of the report. To improve, aim to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to data analysis, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a significant decline', and ensure you proofread carefully for spelling accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are noticeable grammatical errors. For example, the phrase 'worst things happen more than good things' is grammatically awkward and lacks precision. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'with liter being the major problem'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall clarity. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, and try to incorporate more varied complex sentence structures to demonstrate greater grammatical control.

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

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