Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-25
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 illustrates data, for number of males and females who actively participated in every day physical activities in Australia during 2010.
Overall, the most striking feature of the graph is, women across majority of age groups, have been more involved in day-to-day physical activities in comparison to men. This trend remains to be constant for majority of the age groups, except the first each category that is 15 to 24.
In close observations, it is seen that, females involved in every day physical activities is 13% more than males for the age category of 35 to 44. this trend is completely opposite for the age bracket of 15 to 24. Making it the only age bracket where, males involved in activities is approximately 5% higher than females.
Moreover, it can be observed that during the age of 65 and plus the scale of physical activities have marginally low for both the genders still female, overpowering by 1 percentage.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to provide an overview and summarize the main features of the chart regarding Australian men and women participating in regular physical activity. However, there are several inaccurate data interpretations. For instance, the student states that females in the 35 to 44 age group are '13% more than males' (actual figures are 52.5% versus 39.5%, which is a difference of 13 percentage points, but the phrasing is slightly loose). More critically, the final paragraph claims that physical activity for those aged 65 and over was 'marginally low' and that females were 'overpowering by 1 percentage', whereas the data actually shows an increase in participation for both genders compared to the previous bracket (males 46.7%, females 47.1%). While an overview and comparisons are present, these inaccuracies in data reporting prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing specific age brackets. Cohesive devices are attempted (e.g., 'Overall', 'In close observations', 'Moreover'), but some transitions feel mechanical or awkward, such as 'In close observations, it is seen that' and 'Making it the only age bracket where...', which fragments a sentence incorrectly. Paragraphing is present, but the logical progression is occasionally hindered by phrasing and punctuation errors that disrupt the flow of information.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate basic information about the chart, utilizing terms such as 'participated', 'involved', 'trend', and 'bracket'. However, there are numerous lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations throughout the text. Examples include 'every day physical activities' (instead of everyday or regular physical activity), 'each category' (instead of age category), 'scale of physical activities have marginally low' (incorrect collocation and grammar), and 'female, overpowering by 1 percentage' (inappropriate word choice). These errors occasionally impede smooth comprehension.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors, such as missing articles, incorrect verb forms ('have marginally low' instead of 'were marginally lower'), punctuation errors (e.g., comma splices and misplaced commas in 'the most striking feature of the graph is, women across majority of age groups...'), and sentence fragments ('Making it the only age bracket where...'). These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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