Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-31

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 men and women in different age groups who did regular physical activity in 2010.

Overall, it is evident that female from 45 to 54 accounted for the highest figure in regular physical activity. Moreover, male from 35 to 34 accounted for the lowest proportion.

To begin with, male stood at 52.8% and female was 47.7% in the age of 15 to 24. Furthermore, male was recorded at 42.2% and female represented 48.9% in 25 to 34. Similarly, male registered 39.5% and female was 52.5% from the age of 35 to 44. However, In the age of 45 to 54 men constituted 43.1% and women comprised 53.3%, it was also the largest percentage of females. In addition, male made up 45.1% and female was 53% in the age of 55 to 64. Consequently, men accounted for 46.7% and female was recorded at 47.1 by 55 and over.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include figures for all six age groups, so the response is relevant and gives the reader useful detail. However, the overview contains a major data error: the lowest male figure is for ages 35–44, not “35 to 34,” and the highest female figure is 53.3% at ages 45–54. The final comparison also labels the oldest group “55 and over” rather than “65 and over.” The response is 136 words, below the required 150; the 18 words copied from the prompt are excluded from the count. Add a clearer overview of the contrasting trends and ensure age bands and figures are accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph reporting the figures in age-group order. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, progression is mostly a sequence of individual comparisons, and linking words such as “Furthermore,” “Similarly,” “However,” and “Consequently” are used mechanically; some do not express a clear contrast or result. The overview’s two points are not developed into a clear summary of how the sexes’ activity levels change across the age groups. Grouping the data into a few meaningful comparisons—for example, the younger group and the middle-to-older groups—would create stronger progression. Check that each connector accurately describes the relationship between the figures it joins.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “percentage,” “accounted for,” “constituted,” and “comprised,” and the chart’s general meaning remains clear. There is also some variety in how you report figures. However, several choices are awkward or imprecise: “female from 45 to 54” would be more naturally expressed as “women aged 45–54,” while “in the age of” is not idiomatic for an age group. “Male stood at” and “female was recorded at” also sound unnatural when referring to people; use “the figure for men/women was.” Avoid varying reporting verbs simply for variety when the resulting collocation is less natural. More precise, consistent phrasing would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some more complex sentence forms, including the overview and the sentence beginning “However, In the age of 45 to 54…”. Most figures can be understood, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “female … accounted” and “male … stood” use singular nouns where “women” and “men” are needed, and “female was 47.7%” is not a well-formed way to describe the figure. The sentence joining the 45–54 figures to “it was also the largest percentage” is awkwardly joined and needs clearer punctuation or a separate sentence. Capitalisation after “However,” and spacing around punctuation also need attention. Practise accurate noun forms and sentence boundaries while retaining varied structures.

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