Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-19
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 charts compare London residents' view on the best aspects of living in the city over a three-year period, while the line graph illustrates three major problems experienced by residents.
Overall, ease of living was consistently regarded as the most positive feature, whereas transport and housing costs were considerably less appericiated. In terms of problems, traffic congestion was the most significant issuethroughout the period, while rates remain the least prominent concern.
In the first year, approximately, of respondents identified ease of living as amajor advantage, compared with about 55% in each of the following years. The proportion citing traffic congestion was around 55% initially and remained relatively stable before falling slightly. Views of the climate change more noticeably, dropping from roughly 55% to 40% in the second year before recovering to 45%. By contrast, the figures for housingcosts and transport remained comparatively low, generally fluctuating between 25% and 35%.
Turning to the problems, traffic congestionaffected about 68% of residents in year 1 and peaked at approximately 75% in year 2, before declining to around 65% in year 3. Air quality showed a gradual decrease, from about 65% to 60%. Ratesalso fell steadily, from approximately 60% to 55%, making it the least frequently reported problem by end of the period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the data from the mixed charts and line graph, providing an overview and some specific figures. However, there are significant issues with data interpretation and reading the charts accurately. For instance, the text mentions 'ease of living' and 'climate change,' which do not correspond to the labels on the provided charts (the charts cover range of shops, job opportunities, cost of living, traffic congestion, litter, air quality, etc.). Furthermore, some sentences contain missing words or fragmented data (e.g., 'approximately, of respondents'). While the student identifies general trends, the confusion over the chart categories pulls the score down.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is structured into four paragraphs, following a logical layout for an Academic Task 1 report with an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In terms of', and 'By contrast' are used to guide the reader through the text. However, paragraphing and logical progression are occasionally undermined by confusing data references. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when the text abruptly shifts between the different charts without clear transitional markers for the reader to follow the distinct datasets easily.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student attempts to use a range of vocabulary appropriate for a data report, including words and phrases like 'illustrates', 'proportion', 'fluctuating', and 'gradual decrease'. However, there are several noticeable lexical errors, typos, and awkward word combinations, such as 'appericiated', 'issuethroughout', 'housingcosts', and 'Ratesalso'. Additionally, using inaccurate terms for the chart categories (like 'climate change') indicates limitations in lexical precision and comprehension of the task material.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as 'while the line graph illustrates...' and 'dropping from roughly 55% to 40%'. However, grammatical accuracy is affected by several errors, including missing words ('approximately, of respondents identified'), punctuation issues, and run-on phrasing ('significant issuethroughout'). While these errors rarely completely obscure the core meaning, their frequency prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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