Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-23

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 graph illustrates the proportion of Australian males and females of the varying age groups performing physical activity daily in 2010.

From an overall perspective, it is readily evident that women of late adolecents were more likely to perform physical activity, while for elderly people both men and women prioritised exercise equally.

Probing further, males between 15 to 24 years accounted for 52.8%, which is almost 5-6% more than the females of the same age group. Meanwhile, the percentage of women increased steadily with the age progression (from 48.9% to 53%), wherease for men it fluctuated- 42.2% for 25-34 years, 39.5% for 35-44 years and 45.1% for 55-64 years. Lastly, geriatric populations reported almost the similar trend between the both genders. People with 65 year age and over were eually intreseted in physical activity ( 46.7% male and 47.1% female ).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview and selects key features, such as the gender comparison in the 15-24 age group and the similarity in the oldest group. However, the report is under the 150-word minimum, which limits the depth of the analysis. While the main trends are identified, the description of the middle age groups is somewhat disjointed and lacks a cohesive comparison between the genders for all categories. To reach a higher band, ensure all data points are clearly presented and the response meets the minimum length requirement to allow for full development of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'From an overall perspective', 'Meanwhile', and 'Lastly'. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. The use of 'wherease' (a misspelling) and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas feels slightly rushed due to the brevity of the text. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'geriatric populations', 'fluctuated', and 'proportion' used correctly. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'adolecents', 'wherease', 'eually', and 'intreseted', which detract from the overall quality. While the range is sufficient to convey the main points, the lack of precision in some areas and the recurring spelling mistakes limit the score. Focusing on proofreading for common spelling errors and incorporating more precise academic collocations would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical issues, such as 'People with 65 year age and over' (should be 'People aged 65 and over') and 'reported almost the similar trend' (should be 'reported a similar trend'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some inconsistencies with spacing around parentheses. While the errors do not impede communication, the frequency of minor grammatical slips prevents a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy is recommended.

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

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