Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-28
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 information about the percentage of physical activity performed by different age groups of men and women in Australia.
Overall, the percentage of females performers remained highest throughout the majority of age groups than males with the execpetion of the male youngest age group which was highest than other male age groups. Whereas rest of the male age groups performing physical excerise fluctuated in the proportion.
To begin with the most youngest men age group of 15 to 24, 52.8% perfomers participated in the actvities. The adults age between 25 to 34, showed 42.2% participation which was almost similar to the next age men group of 35 to 44 with 39.5% enrollment. The middle age groups between 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 were also presented similar data with each other by 43.1% and 45.1%. The most oldest men age from 65 and over were showed 46.7% participation.
The most youngest females performances was 47.7% which was also similar with the adults female age group of 25 to 34%. The highest physical activities performing group aged was from 35 to 44 with 52.5%, 45 to 54 with 53.3% and 55 to 64 with 53% participation. The proportion of women aged from 65 and over was 47.1%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response covers all parts of the prompt well by reporting the main features of regular physical activity among Australian men and women in 2010. The student successfully identifies key data points, such as the highest and lowest percentages across various age groups, and attempts comparisons between genders. However, the overview provided in the first paragraph is somewhat confused and inaccurate ('percentage of females performers remained highest throughout the majority of age groups than males', which is factually incorrect since men are higher in the 15-24 and 65+ brackets). Despite minor misinterpretations of the overall trends, the selection of data is generally relevant and addresses the task requirements adequately, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall arrangement and is divided into logical paragraphs separating the introduction, male data, and female data. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. Words like 'Whereas' and 'To begin with' are used, but transitions within and between sentences can be awkward, such as starting paragraphs with 'The most youngest men age group'. Referencing is not always clear, and the lack of precise cohesive devices impedes the flow of ideas. Paragraphing is present, but overall progression is slightly disjointed, corresponding to a Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptor. Band 6 is awarded as there is a clear attempt at logical progression.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with terms like 'percentage', 'participation', 'proportion', and 'enrollment'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'execpetion', 'perfomers', 'actvities', 'excerise', 'most youngest', and 'most oldest'. The student attempts less common vocabulary like 'fluctuated' and 'enrollment', but these are often accompanied by inaccuracies or awkward collocations. The lexical range is limited and repetitive, which restricts the score to Band 5.5, rounding down to Band 5.0 due to the frequency of basic spelling and form errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though many complex structures contain grammatical errors. Examples include 'The bar chart illustrates the information about...', 'the male youngest age group which was highest than other male age groups', and 'The most oldest men age from 65 and over were showed'. There are frequent errors in prepositions, superlative forms ('most youngest', 'most oldest'), passive voice construction ('were showed'), and comparative adjectives ('highest than'). While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they occur with high frequency, making Band 5.0 the most appropriate descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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