Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The bar chart illustrates the percentage of Australian males and females in different age groups who did daily physical activity in 2010. Overall, female physical activities are greater than male except in the initial age group.

In detail, the age group 15-24, where males dominated females in physical activity at the ratio of almost 5%, as males crossed 50%. The age group 25-34, where the women dominated men in physical activity at the ratio of approximately 6% difference.

the age group 35-44, where the difference is high between men and women, where women are 11% more active in physical activity. In the age groups of 45-54 and 55-64, women still dominated men in physical activity, while the age group of 65 and over, the difference between both is minimum as compare to others but women physical activity is more then men.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and attempts to make comparisons between Australian men and women across different age groups. However, the length requirement of a minimum of 150 words was not met, as the response contains only 141 words. Furthermore, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data; for instance, the writer states that women were 11% more active in the 35-44 age group, whereas the chart shows a smaller difference. The overview is overly basic, stating simply that female activities are greater than male except in the initial group, which lacks precision and full development of trends. To reach a higher level, all data points must be reported with greater accuracy, the overview needs to synthesize the broader patterns more effectively, and the word count must satisfy the task minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall arrangement, starting with an introductory sentence and attempting to group details by age brackets. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the paragraphing is poor, with most of the body sentences lumped together or fragmented inappropriately (e.g., beginning sentences with 'In detail, the age group 15-24...' without main verbs). Cohesive devices are either missing, inadequate, or repetitive, resulting in a mechanical feel. For example, phrases like 'The age group...' are repeatedly used as sentence fragments rather than fully articulated clauses. To improve coherence and cohesion, the writer should use proper cohesive ties to link sentences logically, ensure every sentence has a complete structure, and organize the response into clear, distinct paragraphs with a logical flow of information.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, containing noticeable errors and unnatural phrasing that cause some difficulty for the reader. For example, the writer refers to 'daily physical activity' instead of 'regular physical activity', and uses awkward phrases such as 'at the ratio of almost 5%' and 'the difference between both is minimum as compare to others'. There is also confusion with word forms, seen in phrases like 'women physical activity is more then men'. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary, use less common lexical items accurately, and avoid repetitive phrasing and spelling or collocation errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on fragmented phrases and verbless clauses instead of complete sentences. Examples of faulty structures include 'The age group 15-24, where males dominated females...' and 'the age group 35-44, where the difference is high between men and women, where women are 11% more active'. Frequent errors in grammar, agreement, and punctuation occur throughout the text, such as 'female physical activities are greater than male' and 'as compare to others'. These errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer must use a wider variety of complex sentence forms, ensure that every sentence contains a main verb and complete grammatical structure, and eliminate frequent basic errors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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