Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-12

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 7.0)

The provided charts detail public opinion regarding living conditions in London across a three-year period.

Overview

Shopping facilities consistently ranked as the top advantage of London living, while the high cost of living and traffic congestion remained the primary concerns. Environmental issues saw subtle fluctuations, with litter consistently identified as the most prominent problem.

Best Aspects

Range of shops: Consistently selected as the top positive feature, starting near 50% in Year 1 and finishing around 42% in Year 3.

Job opportunities & mixture of people: Both followed similar patterns, fluctuating between 35% and 38% across all three years.

Museums & art galleries: Showed a steady upward trajectory, rising from under 30% in Year 1 to nearly 35% in Year 3.

Night life & transport: Received lower approval ratings, generally ranging between 20% and 25%.

Worst Aspects

Cost of living: Rated the biggest drawback in Year 1 at nearly 60%, remaining high at 50% by Year 3.

Traffic congestion: Experienced a similar pattern, hovering between 50% and 56%.

Crime: Saw a marked decline as a major concern, dropping from 56% in Year 1 down to 40% in Year 3.

Transport & housing: Ranked lowest among negative factors, both finishing under 38%.

Specific Environmental Concerns

Litter: Maintained the highest level of concern, peaking near 75% in Year 2 before dipping to 65% in Year 3.

Air quality: Showed a gradual decrease over time, moving from approximately 66% in Year 1 to 60% in Year 3.

Noise: Remained the least cited issue among the three, steadily declining from under 60% to about 53%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student covers all parts of the visual data well, providing a clear overview of the main trends across the charts and line graph. Key features such as shopping facilities ranking highest for positive aspects, and the high cost of living and traffic congestion leading the negative aspects, are accurately highlighted. Data points are appropriately cited throughout the response, such as 'starting near 50% in Year 1 and finishing around 42% in Year 3' for shops and 'dropping from 56% in Year 1 down to 40% in Year 3' for crime. The information is well-selected, and the comparisons are logical. There are no notable omissions of major trends depicted in the provided visual prompts, demonstrating a well-developed response that effectively meets the requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, featuring an introductory sentence followed by a clear overview and well-defined thematic subsections ('Best Aspects', 'Worst Aspects', and 'Specific Environmental Concerns'). Information and ideas are logically sequenced with clear progression throughout the report. Although bullet points are used rather than traditional prose paragraphs, the overall structure remains coherent and easy to follow. Cohesive devices are handled effectively to link ideas and data points without mechanical repetition. Paragraphing or sectioning is used appropriately to separate different categories of survey results, allowing the reader to navigate the data smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The candidate demonstrates a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suited to describing statistical data and survey results. Phrases such as 'consistently ranked', 'steady upward trajectory', 'marked decline', and 'gradual decrease' show good lexical control and awareness of academic collocation. Less common items like 'congestion', 'fluctuations', and 'trajectory' are used accurately. There are occasional minor word choices, but overall the vocabulary allows for precise communication of trends and figures without impeding the reader's understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The writer employs a good mix of simple and complex structures, utilizing participial phrases ('starting near 50%', 'dropping from 56%') and subordinate clauses effectively. The majority of sentences are error-free, and grammatical control is strong throughout the report. Punctuation and sentence boundary demarcation are handled competently, contributing to the overall readability of the text. Errors are very rare and non-systematic, meaning they do not impede communication in any way.

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