Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The charts below give information on the location and types of dance classes young people in a town in Australia are currently attending.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

THE PIE CHART ILLUSTATES THE DISTRUITION OF VENUE CHOICES FOR DANCE CLASSES IN A AUSTRALIAN TOWN, WHILE THE BAR CHART COMPARES STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN THREE DANCE STYLE BALLET, TAP, AND MODERN ACROSS TWO AGE DEMOGRAPHICS.

OVERALL, PRIVATE STUDIOS ARE THE MOST POPULAR VENUE FOR DANCE CLASSES, HOLDING NEARLY HALF OF THE TOTAL MARKET SHARE. IN TERMS OF CLASS CHOICES, YOUNGER CHILDREN PREFER DANCE. TAP SHOWS REALATIVELY BALANCED ENGAGEMENT ACROSS BOTH AGE GROUPS.

REGARDING CLASS LOCATION, PRIVATE STUDIOS DOMINATE AT 48% FOLLOWED BY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS IN SCHOOL HALLS AT NEARLY A QUARTER 24%. COMMUNITY HALLS AND OTHER VENUES ACCOUNT FOR 18%, WHILE COLLEGE BASED STUDIOS REPRESENT THE LEAST POPULAR SETTING AT JUST 10%.

LOOKING AT DANCE STYLES, BALLET ATTRACTS THE HIGHEST OVERALL ENROLLMENT AMONG CHILDREN UNDER 11, PEAKING AT AT APPROXIMATELY 600 STUDENTS DOUBLE THE ATTENDANCE OF DISPLAYS THE OPPOSITE TREND, ATTRACTING AROUND 520 STDENTS IN THE 11-16 AGE BRACKET COMPARED TO ONLY 300 STUDENTS UNDER 11. TAP DANCE EXHIBITS THE SMALLEST GAP BETWEEN AGE GROUPS, WITH ROUGHLY 450 YOUNGER STUDENTS AND 420 OLDER STUDEBTS PARTICIPATING.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of both the pie chart and the bar chart, providing a clear overview followed by detailed supporting data. The student successfully reports venue choices, such as private studios leading at 48%, and compares dance style participation across the two age groups. Key data points like ballet peaking at around 600 students for the younger group and modern dance recording about 520 students for the older bracket are accurately cited and contrasted. However, there is a minor omission and incomplete sentence fragment regarding ballet ('double the attendance of displays the opposite trend'), which slightly affects precision. Overall, all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, placing this response at a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is written entirely in uppercase letters, which detracts slightly from formal presentation, but the paragraphing structure is clear and follows a logical progression. There is a clear introduction stating the purpose of the charts, an overall summary paragraph, followed by distinct bodies focusing on venue locations and dance styles respectively. Cohesive devices are used adequately ('OVERALL', 'REGARDING', 'LOOKING AT'), although referencing and linking can sometimes feel a bit mechanical or abrupt, such as the sudden transition into the details of the bar chart. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with domain-specific terms such as 'venue choices', 'market share', 'enrollment', and 'age demographics'. The student successfully attempts some less common lexical items like 'dominate', 'exhibits', and 'bracket'. However, there are several spelling and typographical errors, including 'ILLUSTATES' instead of illustrates, 'DISTRUITION' instead of distribution, 'AUSTRALIAN' (written as 'A AUSTRALIAN'), 'REALATIVELY', and 'STDENTS/STUDEBTS'. These spelling errors do not entirely impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing introductory participial phrases such as 'REGARDING CLASS LOCATION' and 'LOOKING AT DANCE STYLES'. There is good control of basic structures, and numbers/percentages are integrated smoothly into sentences. However, there are notable grammatical slips and missing punctuation, particularly the lack of periods or commas separating clauses, and a garbled sentence near the end ('double the attendance of displays the opposite trend'). The presence of these structural errors and missing punctuation drops the grammatical accuracy into the Band 6.0 category.

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

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