Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-01
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 two charts and line graph illustrate the results of a survey that is conducted in London over three years to identify good and worst things about living in.
Overall, range of shops has the highest percentage among the three years and is considered a good thing . On the other hand cost of living also had a highest percentage and is considered as worst thing about living in.
Good things that are considered about living in London that has a percentage above 30% in all the three years includes range of shops, job opportunities, mixture of people, museum and art galleries .Range of shops has the highest percentage about 45% .While night life and transport has the lowest percentage below 30%.
Worst things that are considered in London with a highest percentage above 50% includes cost of living, traffic congestion and crime .While cost of housing and transport has a lowest percentage below 40%.
On the other hand people marked the major problem litter in London in 2nd year but with the passage of time it decreases. Air quality remains constant about 65%.Wheareas noise is marked 60% among the all three years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts and graph, but the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, cohesive overview. While you identified the highest and lowest categories, the report struggles to effectively compare the data across the three-year period. For instance, you mention 'litter' and 'air quality' in the final paragraph, but these categories are not clearly linked to the overall trends or the specific survey questions. To improve, ensure you group data logically rather than listing percentages, and provide a more analytical summary that highlights significant changes or stability over the three years.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression between sentences is often weak. The use of cohesive devices is repetitive and sometimes inaccurate, such as starting sentences with 'While' or 'On the other hand' without a clear contrast being established. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when referring back to the charts. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through the data analysis.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'highest percentage' and 'lowest percentage' throughout the report. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'worst things that are considered in London'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to data description, such as 'predominant', 'fluctuated', or 'remained stable', and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate for a formal academic report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'in 2nd year'), incorrect preposition usage ('living in' instead of 'living in London'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('includes' used for plural subjects). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity of the report. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and article usage will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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