Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-18

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 6.0)

The bar chart compares the percentages of people who considered six different aspects to be the best things about living in London over a three-year period.

In Year 1, approximately 45% of respondents considered the range of shops to be the best aspect, making it the highest figure. Job opportunities and the mixture of people were also popular, at about 38% and 36% respectively. Museums and art galleries accounted for around 29%, while nightlife and transport were both chosen by approximately 22%.

In Year 2, the percentage choosing the range of shops fell slightly to around 42%, while job opportunities decreased to about 35%. In contrast, museums and art galleries rose to approximately 32%. By Year 3, museums and art galleries had increased further to around 35%, becoming almost as popular as job opportunities and the mixture of people. Nightlife also rose gradually to about 25%, whereas transport remained relatively stable at around 20–22%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data well, identifying key trends and fluctuations over the three-year period. You have successfully highlighted the most popular aspects and noted the changes in rankings. However, the report lacks an 'overview' paragraph, which is a critical requirement for IELTS Task 1. An overview should summarize the most significant trends (e.g., the overall decline in the popularity of shops versus the rise of museums). Without this, the response fails to provide a clear summary of the data, which limits the score to a 6.0. To improve, ensure you include a clear summary paragraph after the introduction.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with information grouped chronologically by year. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the data points. You use cohesive devices such as 'In Year 1', 'In Year 2', 'In contrast', and 'By Year 3' to guide the reader through the timeline. The progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated linking phrases to connect the trends between years more fluidly, rather than relying on a chronological list structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'respondents', 'accounted for', and 'relatively stable' appropriately. The language is precise enough to convey the data accurately. However, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive (e.g., the frequent use of 'approximately' and 'around'). To achieve a higher band, try to vary your reporting verbs and adverbs, and incorporate more specific collocations related to data description, such as 'witnessed a marginal decline' or 'experienced a steady upward trend'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with good control. Most sentences are error-free, and your punctuation is accurate. You successfully use comparative structures like 'making it the highest figure' and 'becoming almost as popular as'. While the grammar is generally sound, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. To improve, try to integrate more varied subordinate clauses or passive constructions to describe the data, which would demonstrate a wider grammatical range and higher level of sophistication.

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