Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-08

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 provided bar charts and line graph illustrate the outcome of a survey conducted over a period of three years in London to collect people's reviews about their experience of living in the city.

Overall, it's clear that the best thing that people experienced in the city was availability of a range of shops while the worst thing was high accommodation cost.

During the first year, about 45% of the citizens found access to a range of shops the best thing in the city. However, the figure saw a slight drop in the following year when it reduced to just over 40% and saw a slight increase in the third year. Just under 40% of the people expressed satisfaction with the job opportunities in the first year which in the follower year decreased to nearly 35%.

The least beneficial thing people experienced during the first year was cost of living as nearly 60% of the people reported their concerns for it. However, the figure dropped significantly in the second year and decreased to 50% with slight increase in the third year. Traffic congestion was the second least favourite thing as nearly 55% of the citizens voted for it during the first year. The number remained constant in the second year but experienced a considerable drop in the third year when it hit a low-point of under 50%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the data well. You have identified the key trends for the best and worst aspects of living in London. However, the report is slightly unbalanced; you have provided detailed figures for the 'best' and 'worst' categories but have not explicitly linked the data to the specific years or categories in a way that makes the comparison between the two charts fully clear. To reach a higher band, ensure that all key features are highlighted with a clear overview that synthesises the information rather than just listing data points. The inclusion of specific percentages is accurate and supports your description well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into clear paragraphs. There is a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group the data effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'During the first year', and 'In the following year' are used to guide the reader through the trends. While the flow is generally good, some transitions between sentences feel slightly repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the trends, such as 'slight drop', 'remained constant', and 'considerable drop'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'outcome of a survey' (results would be more natural) and 'follower year' (following year). The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but to achieve a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing when describing changes in data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the figure saw a slight drop in the following year when it reduced to just over 40% and saw a slight increase' (which is slightly clunky) and 'reported their concerns for it' (reported concerns about it). Punctuation is generally correct, and while there are some errors, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on refining the use of articles and prepositions, and try to vary your sentence structure further to demonstrate greater control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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