Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-27

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

The bar graph provides information about the percentage of Australian men and women in diffuent age groups who engaged in regular physical activity in 2010.

Overall, between the age group 15 to 24 and 65 and over females were actively participating in physical activities in comparison to males. However in contrast, with the exception of one age group, in which the proportions of males was higher.

First half of age groups between 15 to 24 to 35 to 44, the relatine percentage of females was higher in comparison to males. In the age group from 15 to 24 the participation of males showed higher percentage of 52.8 in comparison to females which accounted for 47.7. This trend was reversed in age group from 25 to 34 and 35 to 44, where females dominated males at an percentage of 48.9 and 52.5 respectively than males which were at 42.2 and 39.5 for the mentioned age group.

The second half of the age group showed similar trend, The females dominated males in every age group, with a slight difference in the age group 65 and over where females accounted for 47.1% and males were at 46.7%. In terms of 45 to 54 & 55 to 64 the percentages of females were somewhere identical having 53% in the age grap

between 55 and 64 and 53.3% in the age group

between 45 to 54. This percentage were higher

in comparison to males having percentage

43.1% and 45.1% respectively for the age

group from 45 to 64.

In conclusion females were exceptionally higher

than males in most of the cases, with

slight difference in the age group between 55 and

over and 15 to 24.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and provided relevant comparisons between the age groups and genders. You covered all parts of the task, including the overall trend and specific data points. However, there are some inaccuracies in your reporting; for instance, you state that females dominated in every age group except one, but the data shows males were higher in the 15-24 age group, and your description of the 65+ group is slightly confusing. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data interpretation is precise and that you clearly distinguish between the trends for each gender without contradictory statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear overall progression. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In contrast' and 'In terms of', to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and some mechanical use of transitions. The paragraphing is generally appropriate, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved by grouping the data more effectively rather than listing figures in a way that feels slightly repetitive. Referencing is mostly clear, but the connection between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall readability.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'engaged', 'participating', 'proportions', and 'dominated'. There are some spelling errors, such as 'diffuent' instead of 'different' and 'relatine' instead of 'relative'. Additionally, some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'somewhere identical' and 'the percentages of females were exceptionally higher'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over collocations and vocabulary choice to move into the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage (e.g., 'the proportions of males was higher', 'at an percentage of', 'this percentage were higher'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and unnecessary capitalization. While these errors rarely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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