Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-05

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 illustrates the best and worst things in London overa three year period. The line graph demonstrates the major issues faced by the citizens of London.

Overall, range of shops showed at highest point alongwith job opportunities and mixture of people has a good impact. But the cost if living was the main problem in London.

In the first bar chart, range of shops at 40 percent, job opportunities and mixture of people at 35 percent. In addition, museum and galleries at 30 percent and increased in three years. Night life at the 20 percent and transport with the lowest percentage at 10 percent.

On the other hand, cost of living at 50 percent and traffic congestion at the highest point at 55 percent. Additionally, crime rate was higher in 1 year at 60 percent but came to 40 percent. Cost of housing and transport at 35 percent with no greater fluctuations. The line graph showed us major problems such as litter was higher in 2nd year at 75 percent. Air quality at 68 percent in 1st year and noise pollution showed no massive change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main features of the charts, but some parts are handled much better than others, leading to an uneven overall presentation. The opening attempts an overview, but it lacks clarity regarding the broader trends and key comparisons. While some data points from the visual information are correctly cited—such as the cost of living and traffic congestion—other details are either inaccurate or under-developed. For instance, the discussion of the best things about London lists several percentages without fully synthesising the overall ranking or highlighting the most significant shifts over the three-year period. To reach a higher level, the response needs a clearer, more comprehensive overview and a more precise selection of data that supports meaningful comparisons rather than isolated figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement, and the information is divided into logical paragraphs separating the introduction, overview, and specific chart details. However, the cohesion between sentences is sometimes mechanical or abrupt, relying on simple connectors like 'In the first bar chart' and 'On the other hand' without always establishing smooth progression. Referencing and linking devices are occasionally faulty, which affects the flow of ideas. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, you should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure that each paragraph builds logically upon the previous one with clear transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic meanings related to urban living, shops, traffic, and housing. There are attempts to use less common items, but these are sometimes accompanied by inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'showed at highest point' instead of 'peaked'. Furthermore, there are minor typographical errors and spelling slips, such as 'overa' instead of 'over a' and 'cost if living' instead of 'cost of living'. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a limited precision. To achieve a higher band, incorporate a wider, more precise range of lexical items and ensure accurate word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though the control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors in grammar, such as missing verbs in key clauses (e.g., 'The bar charts illustrates', 'range of shops at 40 percent' lacking a verb, and 'mixture of people has a good impact' featuring a subject-verb agreement lapse). Punctuation and article use also show occasional errors. While these mistakes rarely impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher score. Improving control over verb forms and ensuring complete sentence structures will significantly enhance this criterion.

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