Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-11

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 5.0)

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

Overall, percentage of Australian men and women doing regular physical activity in 2010. So different type of age groups with different gender in 2010.

To begin with, age between 15 to 24, the percentage of men is 52.4% and women is about 47.7% doing physical activity. Next age between 25 to 34, the percentage of men is 42.2% and women is 48.9%. Next age between 35 to 44, the percentage of men is 39.5% and women is 52.5%.

furthermore, age between 45 to 54, the percentage of men is 43.1% and women is 53.3%. next age between 55 to 64, the percentage of men is 45.1% and women is 53%. Last age group between 65 and over, the percentage of men is 46.7% and women is 47.1%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all age groups and genders, providing the necessary data points. However, the 'Overall' paragraph is extremely weak and fails to provide a meaningful summary or highlight key trends, such as the fact that women generally participated more in physical activity than men in most age groups. The report is essentially a list of figures rather than a synthesis of the information. To improve, you must identify and describe the main trends and significant differences rather than simply transcribing the data for every category. The lack of an analytical overview prevents this from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is mechanical and repetitive. Each sentence follows the same rigid structure ('Next age between...'), which makes the writing feel like a list rather than a cohesive report. While there are some cohesive devices like 'To begin with' and 'furthermore', they are used in a formulaic way. The 'Overall' paragraph is disjointed and lacks a clear connection to the rest of the text. To improve, vary your sentence structures and use linking words to compare and contrast the data rather than just listing it sequentially.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on the phrase 'the percentage of men/women is' throughout the entire response. There is no attempt to use synonyms or more sophisticated vocabulary to describe the data (e.g., 'figures,' 'proportions,' 'participation rates,' 'exceeded,' 'remained stable'). The range is just sufficient to convey the basic information, but it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands. You should aim to incorporate a wider variety of verbs and nouns to describe statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammatical range is limited to simple, repetitive sentence structures. There are several errors in punctuation and capitalization, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters ('furthermore', 'next'). The phrasing 'age between 15 to 24' is grammatically awkward; it should be 'those aged between 15 and 24' or 'the 15-24 age group'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of complex sentence structures and the frequent minor errors in syntax and mechanics keep the score in the lower range. Focus on using more varied sentence patterns and ensuring correct capitalization.

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

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