Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-08

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 depicts the percentage of Australian men and women in various age groups who did numerous physical activities in the year 2010.

Overall, percentage of both men and women slightly fluctuated in all the age groups. Nevertheless, male community of youngsters was at it's peak while both i.e. male and female of older age did nearly the same physical activities.

Males of 15 to 24 years old did more bodily exercises as they were 52.8% in total. Whereas, only 47.7% of female did those activities. Though this comparison converted in 25 to 34 years age group as females were more determined in those activities in 2010, they soared upto 48.9%. The percentage of 35 to 64 years old women approximately levelled off in the year 2010. Conversely, men had slight fluctuation.

Ultimately, both male and female of 65 years and over 65 years perfomed almost the same physical activities i.e. 46.7 and 47.1 respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and report several relevant figures, including the male lead among 15–24-year-olds and the near-equal results for the oldest group. However, the overview is vague and partly inaccurate: activity did not merely “slightly fluctuate”; women’s rates rose to a peak in middle age, while men’s fell and then recovered. The claim that women aged 35–64 “approximately levelled off” misses the useful comparisons across those groups, and most figures are omitted. The response is also below the required 150 words: it contains 148 words, with eight words copied from the prompt excluded from the count. Add a clearer overview and select key figures to support the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of details. This gives the reader some organisation, and transitions such as “Whereas,” “Though,” and “Ultimately” signal comparisons or sequence. However, progression is uneven because the account moves from the youngest group to the 25–34 group, then groups ages 35–64 together, without explaining the important changes within that range. Some linking is awkward or unclear, particularly “Though this comparison converted” and “both i.e. male and female.” Organise the details by contrasting male and female trends across age groups, and use simpler, more precise links so the relationships between figures are easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of vocabulary related to the topic, including “percentage,” “age groups,” “fluctuation,” and “levelled off,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing chart data. “Did numerous physical activities” suggests many different activities rather than regular physical activity, while “more determined” assigns motivation that the chart does not show. Phrases such as “male community of youngsters” and “bodily exercises” are also awkward. Spelling errors such as “perfomed” and the incorrect form “it's” reduce accuracy. Prefer standard, precise reporting language—for example, “participated in regular physical activity” and “the proportion of men”—and check spelling and apostrophe use.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “Though” and a sentence beginning “Whereas.” The main comparisons can usually be understood, but control is inconsistent. The fragment “Whereas, only 47.7% of female did those activities” is not a complete sentence, and “Though this comparison converted in 25 to 34 years age group” has an unclear and faulty structure. There are also errors in articles and agreement, as in “percentage of both men and women” and “both male and female … perfomed,” as well as punctuation around sentence openings. Build complete clauses, use consistent plural forms (“women,” “men”), and check articles and sentence boundaries while retaining some complex structures.

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

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