Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-01
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 5.0)
The given bar chart illustrates the information about the percentage distribution among men and women across the Australia in different age groups who did regular physical activity in 2010. There are different elements in this image which includes age group, percentage, male, and female. We can also see male presented as lined grey color and female appeared as dark grey froasted color. Age group is given over the x-axis that range from 15 to 65 while percentage shown along the y-axis that range from 0 to 60. One of the female element is maximum that reached its peak and its percentage is 53.3 and age group range is 45 to 54, while the other one is minimum, that is male element, and its percentage is bottom out at 39.5 and age group is 35 to 44. To conclude, the image is very informative and what stand out from the chart is that it gives better understanding by giving pictorial view of the Australian men and women physical activity percentage in 2010 and experienced the change.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response addresses the task only minimally, as the information presented is largely a description of the chart's visual layout rather than a clear summary of the main trends and data points. The writer spends excessive time explaining elements like the legend colours ('lined grey color and female appeared as dark grey froasted color') and axis ranges rather than reporting the actual figures. While a couple of specific data points are mentioned, such as the peak at 53.3 for females aged 45 to 54 and the lowest point at 39.5 for males aged 35 to 44, there is no comprehensive overview of the overall patterns or meaningful comparisons between genders across different age groups. To improve, the writer must focus strictly on summarising the data trends shown in the visual prompt rather than describing the chart's graphical design features.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The response has some basic organisation, but information and ideas are not arranged in a clear logical progression suitable for an Academic Task 1 response. The text is written as a single dense paragraph, lacking proper paragraphing to separate the introduction, main body features, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes awkward, such as starting the concluding sentence with 'To conclude, the image is very informative'. Pronoun referencing is also unclear in places, such as 'One of the female element is maximum that reached its peak' and 'while the other one is minimum, that is male element', which makes it difficult for the reader to track the subjects. To achieve a higher band, the writer should structure the response into distinct paragraphs and use a wider range of clear cohesive markers to sequence comparisons and data points logically.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it is somewhat limited and repetitive for an academic task. The writer successfully employs words like 'percentage', 'distribution', 'element', and 'peak', but struggles with precise word choice, collocations, and word forms. Examples of lexical awkwardness include 'froasted color' instead of frosted or shaded, 'percentage is bottom out' instead of bottoms out, and referring to human demographic groups as 'element'. There are also minor spelling and phrasing issues that reflect a restricted lexical range. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of less common academic vocabulary, such as 'proportion', 'fluctuate', 'reach a high', or 'minimum', and ensure accurate word formation and collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on basic patterns joined by coordinating conjunctions. While there are some attempts at complex sentences, they frequently contain grammatical errors. Examples include 'The given bar chart illustrates the information about the percentage distribution among men and women across the Australia', where the article 'the' is incorrectly used before Australia, and 'percentage shown along the y-axis that range from 0 to 60', which lacks subject-verb agreement. Other errors involve preposition use and relative clauses, such as 'age group range is 45 to 54'. Although these errors rarely impede overall communication, they occur frequently throughout the text. To improve, the writer should incorporate a greater variety of error-free complex structures and pay closer attention to basic grammatical rules such as subject-verb agreement and article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.