Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-19

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 given bar chart illustrates the different age groups, including men and women who frequently took part in physical activity in 2010.

It shows ages 15 to 65 and above and the given values are in percentage.

From ages 15 to 24 the number of males in physical activity are more as compared to females. However, only in this age group the percentage of men is higher than the women. There are 52.8% males and 47.7% females. From ages 25 to 34 the percentage of women increase to 48.9% and male reduced to 42.2%. It is noticeable that the number of male's physical activity has reduced significantly to 39.5% in ages 35 to 44 and the women are at 52.5%. in the next age group of 45 to 54 it is shown that in this age women are the in highest percentage of 53.3%, which are doing exercise and the men are 43.1%. The ages 55 to 64 and 65 and over include, 45.1% and 46.7% in men while, the women participation was 53% and 47.1%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You report most of the chart’s figures accurately and identify the key comparison that men have a higher participation rate only in the youngest group. However, the response is mainly a sequence of age-group details rather than a clear summary of the main features. It lacks a distinct overview of the broader pattern: women’s rate rises to a peak around middle age and then falls, while men’s rate drops after the youngest group before recovering. The opening description and the sentence about the age range do not provide this overview. Some comparisons are also imprecise, such as calling women’s 53.3% the “highest percentage” without clarifying that this is their peak. Select and summarise the main trends before giving supporting figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The information is presented in a generally understandable order, moving from the youngest age group to the oldest, and transitions such as “However,” “From ages 25 to 34,” and “in the next age group” help signal progression. Nevertheless, the response is largely one continuous paragraph, and the repeated age-by-age reporting makes the organisation feel like a list rather than a developed summary. The opening two sentences could form a brief introduction, followed by a separate overview and then grouped comparisons. Some linking is also awkward or repetitive, particularly the repeated “From ages” and “The ages.” Use clearer grouping—for example, contrast the youngest group with the remaining groups—and ensure each sentence connects naturally to the main trend.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “participation,” “reduced,” and “highest,” and the meaning is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several expressions are unnatural or imprecise for describing data. “The number of males in physical activity” confuses a percentage with a count, while “women increase” and “male reduced” are not natural descriptions of changing rates. “Doing exercise” is also less suitable than a precise phrase such as “taking part in regular physical activity.” Repeated use of “age group” and “percentage” further limits variety. Build a small set of accurate trend and comparison expressions, such as “the rate rose,” “participation peaked,” and “exceeded,” and use them consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some longer sentences and use contrastive structures, for example, “However, only in this age group…” and “From ages 25 to 34…”. The overall meaning remains understandable, but control is uneven, especially in complex sentences. There are agreement and verb-form problems in “the number of males … are more” and “the percentage of women increase,” as well as an incomplete or awkward construction in “the women are the in highest percentage.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention: “in the next age group” begins with a lowercase letter after a full stop, and the final sentence contains unnecessary commas that interrupt the comparison. Practise concise subject–verb patterns and check each sentence for agreement, articles, and punctuation.

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