Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-31

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 shows the percentage of Australian males and females in different groups of age who did regular physical activity in 2010.

In the bar chart the ages of the Australian men and women are given and also the percentage of their physical activity is given. In younger age like 15 to 24 the men do more physical activity than female. The percentage of the physical activity of men is 52.8 and the percentage of the physical activity done by women is 47.7 which is lower than the men. as we go forward we can see that in age 25 to 34 the percentage of physical activity done by men is 42.3 and the percentage of activity done by women is 48.9.

All groups of age are given. In age 35 to 44 the percentage of men physical activity is 39.5 and the percentage of physical activity done by women is 52.5.In age group of 45 to 54 the percentage is 43.1 for the men and 53.3 for women. In age group 55 to 64,the percentage for men is 45.1 and the percentage for women is 53.

In most groups the percentage of physical activity of men is lower than the percentage of physical activity of women.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, but it lacks a clear overview. While you have listed the data for each age group, you have not synthesized the information to highlight the most significant trends, such as the overall higher participation rates for women in most age brackets compared to men. The report is essentially a list of figures rather than an analytical summary. To improve, ensure you identify the 'big picture' trends in an introductory overview paragraph and group the data logically rather than just listing it chronologically.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is mechanical. You rely heavily on repetitive sentence structures, such as 'the percentage of... is... and the percentage of... is...'. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link these sentences smoothly. For example, using transition words like 'conversely', 'in contrast', or 'meanwhile' would help the reader follow the comparisons more easily. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the paragraphing could be more effective by grouping similar trends together rather than just listing age groups.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and limited. You frequently use the phrase 'percentage of physical activity', which makes the writing feel monotonous. There is little attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary or synonyms to describe the data (e.g., 'participation rates', 'figures', 'proportion', 'levels'). While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is basic and does not demonstrate the flexibility required for a higher band score. Try to vary your word choices to describe the trends more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses mostly simple sentence structures. While there are few major errors that impede communication, the lack of complex sentence structures limits your score. There are some minor errors, such as 'in younger age like 15 to 24' (should be 'in younger age groups, such as...') and 'men do more physical activity than female' (should be 'females'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the overall grammatical range is quite narrow, relying on repetitive subject-verb-object patterns throughout the report.

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

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