Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-17
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 charts and line graph illustrate the feedback of a survey carried out over a three- year period to detect what individuals who live in London think of the city
Overall, it is evident that range of shops and cost of living were the most popular results, whereas job opportunities, mixture of people, museums & art galleries, traffic congestion and crime experienced an upward trend, while night life and transport had the lowest figures, however in line graph, litter was the highest percentage of people answering yes
To begin with, the best thing of living in London is the range of shops which stood out roughly 45% in the first year, almost 42% each for both years, this was followed by litter which was at 70% at the beginning of the period then increased sharply to peaked at approximately 87% in the following year and witnessed a dramatic decrease to around 68% at the end of the period. Job opportunities, mixture of people museums and art galleries followed a similar pattern at 38%,35% and 30% respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover the provided data, but it fails to present a clear or accurate overview. The summary in the second paragraph is confusing, as it conflates the bar charts and the line graph in a way that misrepresents the data. Furthermore, the description of the data is incomplete; while some figures are mentioned, the analysis lacks a logical structure, and the connection between the categories and the trends is unclear. The report does not effectively highlight the key features or make meaningful comparisons, which is essential for a Band 6 or higher. The information provided is somewhat disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the trends described.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the use of 'however' in the second paragraph, which does not logically connect the ideas. Referencing is also problematic; for example, the phrase 'in line graph' is grammatically incomplete and lacks a clear link to the preceding sentence. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the lack of clear signposting makes the overall structure feel disjointed. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There is some repetition of basic terms, and some word choices are awkward, such as 'detect what individuals... think' instead of 'identify' or 'examine'. Phrases like 'stood out roughly 45%' are imprecise and unnatural. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, the range is limited, and there are minor errors in collocation. To improve, the student should focus on using more varied and precise academic vocabulary to describe trends and data points, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'accounted for'.
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 occasionally impede clarity. Issues include missing articles ('in line graph'), incorrect preposition usage ('best thing of living'), and run-on sentences that lack proper punctuation. For example, the sentence starting 'Job opportunities, mixture of people...' is a list that lacks a proper verb or structure to connect it to the rest of the sentence. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to subject-verb agreement and sentence boundaries is needed.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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