Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-10

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 illustrates the percentage of Australian men and women in six age groups who did regular physical activity in 2010.

Overall, the proportion of women who exercised regularly was higher than men in most age groups, except for the youngest group. Men's partcipation was highest at 15 to 24 and lowest at 35-44, while women's partcipation peaked at 45-54.

For men, 52.8% of 15 to 24 year-old did regular physical activity, which was higher than the 47.7% of womwn in same group. However, this figure to 39.5% for 35-44. The percentage then increased gradually to 43.1% for 45-54, 45.1% for 55-64 and 46.7% for those aged 65 and over.

For women, the percentage were more stable, ranging from 47.1% to 53.3%. Women aged 45-54 were the most active at 53.3% followed closely by those aged 55-64 at 53%. the least active were women aged 65 and over at 47.1%, which was similar to men in the same group.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: women were more active in most age groups, while men led among 15–24-year-olds. Several figures are accurate, including the male low of 39.5% at ages 35–44 and the female peak of 53.3% at ages 45–54. However, the overview says men’s participation was highest in the youngest group and lowest at 35–44, but does not clearly summarise the overall pattern of women’s rates across the age groups. The account also omits the male figure for ages 25–34 and gives limited comparison beyond the youngest and oldest groups. The response is 143 words, below the 150-word minimum; the 17 words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop the comparisons and include a little more relevant detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of men and women. This makes the information easy to locate, and transitions such as “However” and “For women” help signal changes in focus. However, progression within the body paragraphs is not always smooth. In the men’s paragraph, the account moves from the youngest group directly to ages 35–44, leaving the 25–34 figure unreported, and “this figure” is not fully clear as a reference. The final paragraph also shifts abruptly from the range to the peak and then the lowest value. Use clearer comparisons between corresponding age groups and link the trends more explicitly to create a more continuous progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-appropriate vocabulary, including “proportion,” “participation,” “ranging from,” “peaked,” and “gradually.” These choices help describe the chart’s trends and comparisons, and the meaning is generally clear. Some word-choice and spelling slips reduce precision, however: “partcipation” and “womwn” are misspelled, and “men’s partcipation” is less natural than “the proportion of men who exercised regularly.” “The percentage were more stable” also uses an awkward combination of words. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, and vary repeated uses of “percentage” with suitable alternatives such as “proportion” or “rate.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and more developed structures, including the relative clause in “52.8% of 15 to 24 year-old did regular physical activity, which was higher than…” and the contrast introduced by “However.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “15 to 24 year-old” needs a plural form, “in same group” is missing an article, and “the percentage were more stable” has subject–verb disagreement. The sentence “However, this figure to 39.5%” is missing a verb, while “the least active” begins a sentence without a capital letter. Check agreement, articles, and complete verb phrases, then proofread sentence openings and punctuation.

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