Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The bar chart illustrates the proportion of Australian males and females doing regular physical activity in 2010.
Overall, the older groups for the females participated in physical exercise significantly, while the youngest groups for the males had their regular exercise the highest. In addition, the females participated in physical exercise more often than the males
Focusing on the men, 52.8% of the men between the age of 15 to 24 participated in physical exercise the highest, and dropped noticeably as they get older. Age groups 35 to 44 had 39.5 individuals participating in physical activities, and increased slightly to 43.1 with age groups 45 to 54.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully address the task. While you have identified some main features, such as the high participation in the youngest male group and a general comparison between genders, the analysis is incomplete. You have not covered all age groups or provided a comprehensive summary of the data, leaving the report unfinished. To improve, ensure you describe all categories presented in the chart and provide a more thorough comparison of the trends across all age brackets to ensure the task is fully developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response shows some logical organization, with an introductory sentence, an overview, and a body paragraph. However, the progression is interrupted by the abrupt ending of the text. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall' and 'In addition', but the limited length prevents the development of a cohesive structure. Paragraphing is present, but the lack of completion makes the overall flow feel disjointed. To improve, ensure you have a clear structure that covers all data points before concluding, and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your comparisons more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'proportion', 'participated', and 'noticeably' used correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are minor issues with collocation, such as 'participated in physical exercise the highest', which is not idiomatic. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', or 'remained stable', and avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the response. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and adverbs will also enhance your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'as they get older' (tense inconsistency) and 'Age groups 35 to 44 had 39.5 individuals' (which should refer to percentages). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the clarity of the report. To improve, focus on maintaining consistent verb tenses when describing data from a specific year and ensure that your subjects and verbs agree. Practicing more complex sentence structures will also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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