Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-23

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?

What are the best things about living in London?

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The bar charts and line graph illustrates the information of responses on the nicest things about living in London, the worst part and the major problem encountered in London spanning over a three years period.

Overall, the amount of available shops was one of the best part of London, with the percentage fluctuating throughout the time period. On the other hand, living cost appeared to be one of the worst thing about living in London and this also experienced a decline. However, environmental littering seems to be a major problem in London.

From the information provided, number of shops, employment opportunities, mixture of people, museum and gallery, night life and transportation are among the favorite things about living in London, with range of shops been the highest at about 45%. However, all these mentioned nicest things fluctuated throughout the period.

Further more, the worst things about the life in London is the cost of living, traffic congestion and crime rates which were stable at approximately 58% for the first year. However, house rent and transportation were the least at about 38% in year one. They all however, experienced marked fluctuations throughout the time period. The highest problem in London been littering started at about 70% in the first year, increased to approximately 75% in the second year and dropped to about 68% in the third year. Air quality and noise followed closely at about 67% and 59% and both reduced slightly to approximately 66% and 58% during the third year.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task by addressing the three distinct data sets provided. You have successfully identified key features and trends, such as the dominance of shops as a positive aspect and the prevalence of littering as a major problem. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview that synthesizes the trends across the three years. While you mention fluctuations, you could improve by highlighting the most significant changes or contrasts more explicitly. The data is generally accurate, but ensure that the distinction between the three charts is clearly maintained throughout the report to avoid confusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on different aspects of the data. Cohesive devices such as 'however', 'furthermore', and 'on the other hand' are used to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the different charts could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, including terms like 'fluctuating', 'marked fluctuations', and 'stable'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'nicest things' (which is informal) and 'range of shops been the highest' (grammatically incorrect). There is also some repetition of basic verbs. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'peaked', 'remained constant', or 'experienced a marginal decline', and ensure that word forms are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The bar charts and line graph illustrates') and verb forms (e.g., 'range of shops been the highest'). Punctuation is generally adequate, but some sentences are slightly awkward due to these grammatical slips. To improve, focus on ensuring that your subjects and verbs agree and that you use the correct tense consistently when describing past data. Proofreading for these common errors would significantly improve the clarity of your writing.

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