Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-01

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 7.0)

The bar charts and line graph illustrates the results of a survey conducted over a three-year period to discover what people who live in London think of the city.

Overall, the range of shops was the most popular positive aspect, whereas the cost of living and traffic congestion were among the main disadvantages. Litter was consistently considered a major problem, particularly in Year 2.

In terms of positive features, the range of shops was chosen by approximately 45% of people in Year 1, falling to 38% in Year 2 before recovering to 42% in Year 3. Job opportunities also declined slightly, from 38% to 35%. Meanwhile, the popularity of museums and art galleries increased steadily, from about 29% to 35%. Nightlife also rose gradually, while transport remained relatively stable.

Regarding disadvantages, the cost of living fell from around 57% to 50%, while traffic congestion declined from 56% to 49%. Crime also dropped considerably. The cost of housing remained around 35%, whereas transport became less problematic.

Finally, litter was viewed as a major problem by 70%, 75% and 65% respectively. Air quality and noise showed gradual declines throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by covering both the positive and negative aspects of living in London, as well as the survey on major problems over the three-year period. An effective overview is provided right at the beginning, highlighting the main trends and extremes such as the range of shops, cost of living, traffic congestion, and litter. Key features and data points are selected and reported well, successfully meeting the requirements for the lower band while showing elements of the higher band. However, some ideas and figures—such as the specific percentage movements for crime or the exact breakdown of transport—tend to generalise or miss minor nuances, meaning some data points are slightly under-developed compared to the primary trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The text demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped sensibly, with the opening paragraph introducing the charts, followed by an overview, and subsequent paragraphs dedicated separately to positive features, disadvantages, and the major problems line graph. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In terms of positive features', 'Meanwhile', and 'Regarding disadvantages' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is managed well, creating a natural flow from one set of charts to the next. To reach an even higher standard, referencing and transitions between sentences could occasionally be more tightly integrated to ensure cohesion feels entirely natural and unobtrusive.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and demonstrates a sufficient range for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision in describing statistical trends. Phrases like 'falling to', 'recovering to', 'increased steadily', and 'declined considerably' show a good attempt at less common lexical items related to data reporting. Word choice is mostly appropriate and does not impede communication. A few minor inaccuracies or less polished collocations occasionally appear, but the overall lexical control is solid. To push into the higher band, the student could incorporate a wider variety of sophisticated synonyms and less common academic collocations to describe fluctuations and proportions more dynamically.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writing exhibits a good variety of complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and participial phrases alongside simpler forms. There are frequent error-free sentences, and the overall control of grammar and punctuation is strong. For example, clauses like 'while transport remained relatively stable' and 'whereas transport became less problematic' show good command of contrastive structures. Tense consistency is well maintained across the past timeframes. A few minor errors persist, such as the initial subject-verb agreement slip in 'The bar charts and line graph illustrates', but these do not impede communication. Maintaining this level of grammatical control while eliminating minor slips will secure higher accuracy.

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