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 bar chart compares the percentages of Australian males and females in different age categories who engaged in regular physical activity in 2010.

overall, women were more engaged in physical activities than men in most age groups. The highest proportion in which men do physical activities were age group 15 to 24 while women highest proportion were age 45 to 54.

In the 15-24 age group, men participated in regular physical activity were 52.8%, compared with 47.7% of women. Among the age group 25-34, percentages were changed to 42.2% of men and 48.9% of women who engaged in regular exercising activity. Moreover, in the age group 35-45, percentage of men to did regular physical activity were fell to 39.5 while women participation climb to 52.5. After that in age group 45-54, females also dominated physical activity with 53.3% while males climb to 43.1%. In age category 55-64, women were dominated with almost 7.9% as compared to men of 45.1% do engaged in physical activties. At the end, age group 65 and over were roughly difference of 0.4% between males and females.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: women recorded higher participation in most age groups, while men’s highest figure was among 15–24-year-olds. You also include several accurate figures and comparisons. However, the overview is incomplete: women’s peak was 45–54, but their rates were similarly high from 35–64, and the overall pattern of men’s decline followed by a gradual rise is not highlighted. Some details are unclear or inaccurate. For example, “35-45” should be 35–44, and saying women “were dominated with almost 7.9%” at 55–64 does not clearly express the difference; the gap is 7.9 percentage points. The final comparison gives the 0.4-point gap but not the actual figures. Select and explain the main trends more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows a generally understandable order, moving through the age groups from youngest to oldest, and uses linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “After that,” and “At the end.” This gives the reader a clear route through the data. However, the paragraphing is limited: the overview is not separated clearly from the detailed comparisons, and the long sequence of age-group sentences can feel like a list rather than a synthesis. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “women were dominated” make the relationship between the groups unclear. Organise the response into a concise introduction, a distinct overview, and detail paragraphs that group related trends—for example, the male pattern and the age groups where female participation was higher.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “percentages,” “participated,” “compared with,” and “proportion,” so the chart remains understandable. There are also attempts at varied phrasing, such as “engaged in regular physical activity.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “women were dominated” reverses the intended meaning, “regular exercising activity” is unnatural, and “almost 7.9%” does not clearly describe a difference between percentages. “Physical activties” also contains a spelling error. Prefer precise chart language such as “the female rate was higher,” “participation rate,” and “a gap of 7.9 percentage points.” Avoid repeatedly replacing “physical activity” with less natural alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons with “compared with” and clauses introduced by “while.” The main comparisons are usually understandable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction occur often enough to make some sentences difficult to process. For example, “men participated … were 52.8%” combines incompatible structures; write “the figure for men was 52.8%.” In “percentage of men to did … were fell,” the verb pattern is faulty; use “the percentage for men fell to 39.5%.” There are also agreement problems in “women highest proportion were” and “age group … were.” Check that each sentence has a clear subject and one correctly formed main verb, and use consistent past-tense reporting.

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