Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-03
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 compares the proportion of Australian men and women in different age groups who had performed workout in 2010.
Overall, the chart illustrates that the highest ratio of physical activity in the year 2010 performed by females was higher at later age as compared to male's proportion of exercise which was higher in early age and then suddenly declined.
The chart shows that Males in the age group of 15 to 24 had higher ratio of exercise at 52.8% which constantly decline till the age of 54 at 43.1% and then there was sudden rise in the age of 55 to 65 at 46.7%. So the bars mainly described more fluctuation in the percentage of male's workout ratio.
On the other hand, the ratio of physical activity by females was 47.7% at the age of 15 to 24 which had suddenly risen from the age group 25 to 64 at 53% which was much greater than males proportion of exercise. But at the age group of 65 and over the ratio of physical activity by females had also decreased at 47.1% slightly higher than males of this age group.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, including the age groups and gender comparisons. However, the summary is slightly inaccurate in its description of trends. For example, stating that male participation 'constantly declined' until 54 is not entirely accurate as the data shows a slight increase between 35-44 and 45-54. Additionally, the overview is somewhat confusingly phrased, making it difficult to grasp the main trends immediately. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are described with greater precision and that the overview clearly highlights the most significant differences between the two groups without over-complicating the sentence structure.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand' and 'Overall' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'So the bars mainly described more fluctuation'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved to create a more natural progression of ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within the paragraphs needs more variety to avoid repetitive sentence starts.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. Phrases like 'performed workout' and 'ratio of exercise' are repetitive and slightly unnatural in an academic context. There are also some minor word-choice errors, such as using 'ratio' when 'percentage' or 'proportion' would be more accurate. While the student successfully uses some data-related terms, the range is limited. To improve, the student should incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and use more precise terminology related to statistical data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'the highest ratio... performed by females was higher at later age' (missing articles and awkward phrasing) and 'male's proportion' (incorrect possessive usage). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Increasing the accuracy of basic structures and refining the use of articles would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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