Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-22

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 result of a survey conducted over a three-year period to find out wat people considerd to be the best things about living in london.

Overall, the range of shopes was the most popular feature in all three years, while transport was one of the low popular choices. There were also some noticeable changes in people's opinions about museums and art galleries and nightlife.

To begin with, in year 1, the range of shopes was the most popular feature, at approximately 45% followed by job opportunities at 38% and the mixture of people at 36%. By year 2, the figure for shopes and job opportunities slightly to around 42% and 35%, respectively, while the mixture of people remained stabale at around 36%. Meanwhile, museums and art galleries increased from 29% to 32%.

In year 3, the ranges of shopes continued to increaed, at around 42%. The percentage for job opportunities remained at approximately 35%, while the mixture of poeple fell slightly to 35%. In constrast, museums and art galleries become more popular, reaching about 35%. Nightlife also increased gradually from 22% in year 1 to 25% in year 3, whereas transport fluctuated between 20% and 22%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers the main features of the first chart regarding the best things about living in London over the three-year period. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key trends such as the dominance of the range of shops and the low popularity of transport. Key data points are cited to support the descriptions, such as the percentages for shops and job opportunities in year 1 and year 2. However, the student completely omits the other two charts provided in the prompt (the worst things about living in London and whether specific issues are a major problem). Addressing only one part of a multi-chart visual limits the task response score. Nonetheless, the information presented for the first chart is accurate and well-selected.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from the introduction to the overview and body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different sections of the report. Cohesive devices are employed adequately to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'To begin with', 'Meanwhile', and 'In year 3'. However, some referencing and transitions become slightly repetitive or mechanical ('To begin with', 'In year 3'), and referencing is occasionally affected by minor mechanical slips. Overall, the logical structure is clear and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a data report, incorporating terms such as 'illustrate', 'survey', 'popular feature', 'percentage', and 'fluctuated'. However, there are several noticeable spelling errors ('wat' instead of what, 'considerd' instead of considered, 'shopes' instead of shops, 'stabale' instead of stable, 'increaed' instead of increased, 'poeple' instead of people, 'constrast' instead of contrast) and a missing verb phrase in paragraph 3 ('the figure for shopes and job opportunities slightly'). These lexical and spelling inaccuracies restrict the band score to 5.5, as they occasionally distract the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses ('while transport was one of the low popular choices') and comparative structures. There are several grammatical and mechanical errors, notably spelling mistakes and missing elements, such as the omitted verb in 'the figure for shopes and job opportunities slightly to around 42%'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and despite the errors, meaning is mostly clear and communication is rarely impeded. The control of grammar aligns with band 6.0.

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

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