Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-07

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 given bar chart illustrates the ratio of australian men and women at different age groups who performed regular physical activity in 2010.

At the age of 15-24 52.8% of males prefer regular physical activity whereas 47.7% of women loves doing regular physical activity, on the other hand, at the age of 25-34 42.2% of males perform physical activity whereas 48.9% of females perform physical activity subsequently, at the age of 35-44 39.5% of males preferred to do physical activity whereas 52.5% of females did physical activity. On the other hand, at the age of 45 to 54 43.1% of males loves doing physical activity whereas 53.3% of females prefer doing physical activity

At the age of 55 -64 45.1% of males prefer doing physical activity whereas 53% of females loves doing physical activity meanwhile at the age of 65 and over 46.7% of male like doing physical activity whereas 47.1% of females prefer doing physical activity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all age groups and provides the relevant data points. However, it lacks a clear overview of the main trends, such as the general tendency for women to participate more in physical activity than men in most age groups, except for the youngest and oldest cohorts. The report is essentially a list of statistics rather than a summary of main features. To improve, you should group the data logically and highlight significant trends or contrasts rather than listing every single percentage point, which makes the writing repetitive and mechanical.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised by age group, which provides a basic structure. However, the paragraphing is poor; the text is essentially two long blocks of text that lack clear transitions. The use of cohesive devices is repetitive, with 'whereas' being used in almost every sentence. This makes the flow mechanical and monotonous. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'in contrast', 'conversely', 'while') and ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus, such as grouping age ranges where men lead versus those where women lead.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on the phrase 'perform physical activity' or 'loves doing physical activity' throughout the text. There is little attempt to use synonyms or more sophisticated vocabulary to describe the data. For example, instead of repeating 'perform', you could use terms like 'engage in', 'participate in', or 'take part in'. Additionally, there are minor errors in word choice, such as 'ratio' when 'percentage' or 'proportion' would be more accurate for the data provided.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses a very limited range of sentence structures, relying almost exclusively on simple sentences joined by 'whereas'. There is a lack of complex sentence structures. Furthermore, there are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('women loves', 'males loves') and inconsistent verb tenses ('preferred', 'loves', 'did'). Punctuation is also problematic, with several run-on sentences and missing commas. To improve, focus on using a mix of simple and complex sentences and ensure that your subject and verb agree in number.

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

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