Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The bar chart below shows the percentage of Australian men and women in different age groups who did regular physical activity in 2010.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The bar chart compares the proportion of Australian males and females in different age groups who are doing regular physical activity in 2010. Overall, in the beginning the percentage of males in physical activity were higher than females, but over the growing age, females recorded higher proportion and remained at the top in comparison to males. However, both men and women aged over 65 had almost same participation figure. From 15-24 age group individuals, men and women, had physical participation ratio 52.8% and 47.7% respectively. While 25-34 aged people, recorded 42.2% and 48.9% for men and women, females took part in physical activities greater than men. Meanwhile, this pattern again repeated from 35 to 54 aged group individuals. B

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: men lead in the youngest group, while women have higher participation in most later groups, and the figures are close among those aged 65 and over. The figures for ages 15–24 and 25–34 are reported accurately. However, the response stops before fully summarising the data: it does not give the values for the 35–54 groups or describe the 55–64 and 65+ figures in detail. The claim that women “remained at the top” is too broad, since men’s rate rises after age 35 and the gap narrows in the oldest group. The response is also 31 words below the required minimum. Add the missing comparisons and key figures to develop the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to age-specific details, and connectors such as “Overall,” “Meanwhile,” and “However” help signal relationships. However, progression is limited because the final detail is incomplete, ending with “35 to 54 aged group individuals” without reporting the relevant figures. Some linking is also awkward or repetitive: “While” begins a fragment-like transition, and “this pattern again repeated” does not clearly explain which comparison is being repeated. The isolated “B” at the end further disrupts the finish. Organise the body into a complete sequence of age groups, using clear comparisons and a concluding detail for the oldest groups.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “proportion,” “participation,” “recorded,” and “comparison,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “regular physical activity.” Some choices are unnatural or imprecise, however: “physical participation ratio” is not a natural description of the chart’s percentages, and “females took part in physical activities greater than men” is awkward. “In the beginning” is also less suitable than a phrase referring specifically to the youngest age group. Aim for precise chart language and natural collocations, such as “participation rate” and “the proportion of women was higher.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “but” in the overview and a subordinate clause beginning “While.” The main comparisons can usually be understood, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the percentage of males … were higher” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “over the growing age” does not form a clear grammatical expression. The sentence beginning “While 25-34 aged people” is not well integrated with the following clause, and “From 15-24 age group individuals” has an awkward, incomplete structure. Use complete sentences with clear subjects, and check agreement and age-group phrasing. More accurate control of these structures would make the comparisons easier to follow.

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

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