Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar graph compares the percentage of men and women who did regular physical activity across various age groups in Australia in 2010.

Overall, female across all age groups surpassed women in physical activity, except in the 15-24 age group where men took the lead. For the elderly group (65 and over) the percentage was almost equal.

To begin with, 52.8% of young men (15-24) were regularly active, compared to just 47.7% of young females. However, in the middle aged groups female constantly maintained a higher percentage. In the 25-35 age group, the difference between the two genders was fairly lower (7.7%). Whereas in the next three groups the difference was quite significant.

Between ages 35-64, a little more than 50% of the women were doing regular physical activity, opposed to men who were around 45%. Moreover, for the older men and women, the percentage share was almost evenly distributed, with 46.7% for the males and 47....1% for the females.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the bar chart well. You have identified the key trends, such as the 15-24 age group exception and the general trend of higher female participation in middle age. However, there is a significant error in the first sentence of the second paragraph: 'female across all age groups surpassed women'. This is logically contradictory and confusing. Additionally, the data reporting for the 35-64 age group is somewhat vague, as you group three distinct age categories together without specifying the individual data points. To reach a higher band, ensure that your summary of the data is precise and that you avoid contradictory statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'However', and 'Moreover' to guide the reader. However, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the comparison between genders is muddled by the aforementioned error. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the specific data analysis. To improve, ensure that your cohesive devices connect ideas more smoothly and that your referencing (e.g., 'the two genders') is always precise to avoid ambiguity.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'surpassed', 'maintained', and 'evenly distributed'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the difference between the two genders was fairly lower', where 'smaller' would be more appropriate than 'lower'. Additionally, there is a typo in the final paragraph ('47....1%'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on using more precise comparative adjectives and proofreading for typographical errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'In the 25-35 age group, the difference between the two genders was fairly lower'. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'female across all age groups surpassed women', which is a subject-noun confusion. You also have a minor punctuation error with the ellipsis in the final paragraph. While the majority of your sentences are clear and understandable, the frequency of these minor errors suggests a need for more careful editing. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help improve your score.

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

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