Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-07

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 stipulated bar graph comparatively represents the ratio of both sexes in Australia who performed physical exercise in 2010.

Overall, it is an evident that maximum percentage of females of each group were interested in physical activity than males in the given time period.

After analyzing the bar graph it is clear that more than half of the teenagers did exercise in 2010 however, their interest was decreased by passing their age which noticed under 40% at adult age. In contrast, 52.5% of female adults preferred activities which was approximately 5% less in 15 to 34 age group.

Getting back into details, in 2010, 43.1% men of 45 age interested in physical games which was almost 10% more in women, whereas for senior citizens it was accounted at 45.1% and 53% respectively, Surprisingly, there was a similar percentile recorded for the 65 and over age group for both counterparts under 47.1.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include several relevant comparisons, including the male peak among 15–24-year-olds and the female figures around 52–53% in middle and older age groups. However, the overview is inaccurate: females did not have higher activity in every age group, since men led among 15–24-year-olds (52.8% versus 47.7%). The claim that teenagers’ activity fell below 40% with age also misrepresents the pattern: male activity reached 39.5% at ages 35–44, then rose, while female activity increased to 53.3%. Some figures are unclear or assigned to the wrong groups, particularly the comparison of 52.5% with the 15–34 age group. Select the main trends accurately and report age bands and values precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is weakened by the inaccurate overview and by details that are not grouped consistently by age or sex. For example, the paragraph beginning “After analyzing the bar graph” moves from teenagers to adult women without clearly identifying the age bands, while “Getting back into details” shifts abruptly to older groups. Linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “whereas” are attempted, but some comparisons are difficult to follow because their referents are unclear. Organise the body around clear age-group comparisons and use transitions only where they accurately signal a contrast or continuation.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing a chart, including “percentage,” “approximately,” “in contrast,” and “accounted at.” Some less common choices show an effort to vary expression, but several are inaccurate or unnatural for this task. “Ratio” is not the right term for the chart’s percentages, and “interested in physical activity” describes preference rather than participation. Phrases such as “their interest was decreased” and “similar percentile” also make the data description less precise. Prefer standard, accurate reporting language such as “the proportion who exercised,” “the figure fell,” and “a similar percentage was recorded.” This would make your vocabulary more natural and help distinguish measured activity from personal interest.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “it is an evident that” has an incorrect article and word form, while “43.1% men of 45 age interested” is missing necessary grammatical elements and has an unclear structure. In “which was almost 10% more in women,” the comparison is not formed clearly, and the long final sentence needs stronger punctuation to separate its comparisons. There are also problems with agreement and sentence construction in “their interest was decreased by passing their age.” Build comparisons with complete clauses—for example, state the age group, then give the male and female figures—and check articles, verb forms, and punctuation.

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

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