Band 5.5Building

Academic Task 1: Commuting in a European city (Band 5.5 version)

Academic Task 1 99 words 1 min read

Task

The table shows the percentage of people using four ways of travelling to work in a European city in 2000 and in 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Transport	2000	2020
Car	62	54
Bus	18	15
Train	12	21
Bicycle	5	8
Walking	3	2

Band 5.5 answer

The table shows how people travel to work in a city in 2000 and 2020.

In 2000, 62% of people went to work by car. 18% used the bus, 12% used the train, 5% used a bicycle and 3% walked. In 2020, 54% of people used the car. 15% used the bus and 21% used the train. 8% used a bicycle and 2% walked.

The car was the most popular in both years. The bus was less popular in 2020 than in 2000. The train was more popular in 2020. The bicycle also went up and walking went down.

Topics:tablecommutingband 5.5ladder

Why this scores 5.5

One note for each marking criterion.

Task achievement: Every figure is reported, but there is no overview and no selection of key features. The reader has to work out the main trend. This caps the score.
Coherence and cohesion: Information is listed year by year with repeated sentence patterns. Comparison between years only appears at the very end.
Lexical resource: Very limited range: 'used' and 'went up' repeat. Missing data language such as 'rose', 'fell', 'accounted for', 'the majority'.
Grammatical range and accuracy: Accurate but almost entirely simple sentences, and several begin with a number. Add comparisons and subordination.
Note: A teaching sample written by AI to show what this band looks like. Errors in the lower versions are deliberate. Not examiner-marked.

Try it yourself

Write or record your own answer and get a band estimate with notes on every criterion.

Get feedback on your own answer

Climb to Competent

Mostly clear and relevant, with a mix of structures and a few slips.

See band 6–6.5 samples

More Academic Task 1 samples

Band 7.0

A village then and now (maps)

Band 7.0

Household spending (two pie charts)

Band 7.5

Commuting in a European city (Band 7.5 version)