Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-29

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 chart illustrates the results of a survey about the best thing and the worse thing people experienced, who lived in London, over a three-year period. The line graph provides the percentage of people who agreed that the problems such as litter, air quality, and noise are the major problems in London as the results of the same survey.

Overall, a range of shops is the best thing people experienced in London compared with the night life and the transportation. The survey resulted that the cost of living, traffic congestion, and the crime rate were the worst problems, dominantly in the first year. In the line graph, litter was the main problem and it showed an increase in the second year of the survey, followed by other two problems.

In detail, the highest percentage of people answered that the range of shops is the best thing at about 45%, declined to nearly 41% in the following years. Job opportunities and the mixture of people were in the moderately satisfied list about 37% and 36% respectively in the first year and then declined.

In the worst thing, cost of living was bad thing agreed by around 58% people in the first year and declined to nearly 49% in the following years. Similarly, traffic congestion and crime made up 55% in the first year, and decreased to 49% and 40% respectively in the following

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task by describing the bar charts and the line graph. You have identified key features, such as the popularity of shops and the primary concerns regarding living costs and crime. However, the report is incomplete as it ends abruptly mid-sentence in the final paragraph. Furthermore, while you mention trends, the analysis of the line graph lacks precision; for example, you state litter increased in the second year but do not provide specific data points to support this. To improve, ensure you provide a complete overview and include more specific data comparisons to fully illustrate the trends shown in the visuals.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is generally coherent, with a clear overall structure including an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In detail' and 'Similarly', to link ideas. However, the flow is interrupted by the abrupt ending of the text, which negatively impacts the overall progression. Additionally, some transitions between sentences feel slightly mechanical. To reach a higher band, ensure that your paragraphing is consistent and that you use a wider range of cohesive devices to connect your ideas more fluidly, ensuring the report reaches a logical conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'percentage', 'congestion', and 'moderately satisfied'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the worse thing' (should be 'worst thing') and 'the survey resulted that' (should be 'the survey indicated that'). There is also some repetition of basic structures. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that your word forms are accurate. For instance, instead of 'bad thing', use more descriptive adjectives like 'significant concern' or 'prevalent issue'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'people who lived in London' (should be 'people living in London') and 'the problems such as litter... are the major problems' (redundant phrasing). There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. The abrupt ending also leaves a sentence unfinished, which is a grammatical error. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of articles. Aim to proofread your work to ensure all sentences are complete and grammatically sound.

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