Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-22
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 illustrates the percentage of Australian
men and women doing regular physical activity in 2010 divided into six different age groups. Overall, women were more active than men in almost all age groups. There was only a one youngest group where men had a highest percentage than women. The percentage of men changed more noticeably as compared to women.
Among people aged 15 to 24 where men did regularly physical activity at 52.8% as compared to women at 47.7%, In the 25 to 34 age group the percentage of men decreased at 42.2%,While the percentage of women increased at 48.9%.
For people aged 35 to 44 there was a big difference. The percentage of men was 39.5%, While the percentage of women was 52.5% and that was the big differnece, and the figure increased for men to 43.1 in 45 to 54 age group and there was a minor increase in women percentage at 53.3%, And in 55 to 64 aged group the percentage of men increased at 45.1%,while the percentage of women was remains same at 53%, In last aged group 65 and over the percentage of men was 46.7% as compared to women at 47.1%.
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 reporting 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 that women were generally more active and that the percentage of men fluctuated more noticeably. Key data points are accurately cited, such as the 15 to 24 age group where men reached 52.8% compared to women at 47.7%, and the 35 to 44 age group where women peaked at 52.5% versus men at 39.5%. The response covers all age categories appropriately, fulfilling the requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 6.5 level, though extending the analysis slightly further would improve the overall depth.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introductory sentence and an overview. However, paragraphing is poorly managed, as the body of the text is compressed into two very long and dense paragraphs rather than being broken down logically by age brackets or trends. Cohesive devices are sometimes faulty or mechanical, and punctuation errors disrupt the flow. For instance, the transition in sentences like 'Among people aged 15 to 24 where men did regularly physical activity at 52.8% as compared to women at 47.7%, In the 25 to 34 age group...' demonstrates poor sentence boundary control and comma splices. Referencing and logical progression become strained due to run-on structures and repetitive use of transitional phrases.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'percentage', 'illustrates', 'decreased', and 'increased'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'did regularly physical activity' instead of 'participated in regular physical activity', 'youngest group', and spelling errors like 'differnece'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success, and there is some repetition of phrase structures when describing data changes. While communication is not severely impeded, these vocabulary limitations and slips place the performance firmly in the Band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting comparative and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent punctuation errors, comma splices, and fragments. Examples include 'Among people aged 15 to 24 where men did regularly physical activity...', which forms an incomplete clause, and 'while the percentage of women was remains same at 53%', containing a tense error. Other errors involve preposition use and missing articles. Although the meaning is generally clear despite these mistakes, the high frequency of structural slips prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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