Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-12
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 graph compares the percentage of Australian men and women from different age groups who engaged in regular physical activity in 2010
Overall, the percentage of women was considerably higher in comparison to men. The percentage of women peaked during the age group from 45-54. Women dominated men in every age group, However in contrast the highest percentage of men was recorded in the age group between 15- 4
In the age group between 15- 24 the percentage of men was moderately higher in comparison to women, nevertheless
this trend got reversed from the age group between 25-34 to 55-64 where women dominated men. The highest percentage of women was observed in the age group between 45-54 where women accounted for 53.3% in comparison to men which stood around 43.1% this trend remained same in the age group between 25-34 and 35-44 where women dominated men and accounted for 52.5% and 48.9% whrere men remained 42.2% and 48.9% respectively
This trend got somewhere stable from those aged 65 and over where men and women were 46.7 and 47.1 res
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by summarising the main features of the bar chart and making relevant comparisons between Australian men and women across different age groups. An overview is provided, noting general trends such as the higher overall participation of women. Key data points are selected and reported, such as the peak female participation rate of 53.3% in the 45-54 age group and the male peak in the 15-24 age group. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and incomplete figures in the reporting, such as the cutoff numbers in the first paragraph ('15- 2') and unfinished abbreviations ('res') in the final sentence. Despite these minor issues, the core information is accurately captured and well-supported with data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs covering the overview and specific age group breakdowns. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'nevertheless', and 'in comparison to'. However, paragraphing is somewhat disjointed with abrupt breaks and incomplete sentences, particularly at the end of the text where the final sentence trails off into 'res'. Furthermore, referencing and cohesion within the body paragraphs become slightly mechanical and repetitive with phrases like 'where women dominated men'. While the logical flow is generally maintained, these structural and cohesive flaws prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common and topic-specific vocabulary such as 'engaged in regular physical activity', 'peaked', and 'trend got reversed'. However, there are noticeable lexical and typographical errors throughout the text, including awkward phrasing like 'trend got somewhere stable' and spelling or drafting errors such as 'whrere' and truncated numbers and words. Word choice lacks precision in places, and repetition of terms like 'dominated' limits flexibility. Despite these shortcomings, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without severely impeding communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing comparative structures such as 'the percentage of women was considerably higher in comparison to men'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several punctuation and structural errors, including missing full stops, awkward clause integration, and incomplete sentences towards the end of the response ('where men and women were 46.7 and 47.1 res'). Complex structures often contain minor errors or clumsy phrasing. While communication is not heavily impeded, the frequency of grammatical and mechanical slips places this response firmly in the band 6 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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