Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 horizontal bar graph depicts that location of dance classes and pie chart illustrates that different types of dance classes currently attend by young people in a town in australia.

Overall, it is crystal clear that many of the students prefer private studios as a best location for dance classes. Mostly young people who are under 11, like ballet and tap dance classes except modern dance class.

At a fleeting glance, 48% students like to go private studios for dance and it was followed by only 10% people prefer college-based studios for dancing. Young people attending school halls (after-school) are 24%,whereas 18% students visit community halls and other for this activity.

Under age 11, mostly students are performing ballet and tap dance classes ranges from 400 to 600 students respectively. Only 300 students like to do modern dance. Age group with 11-16, more than 500 students contribute to modern dance classes, whereas only 300 students like to perform ballet dance. More than 400 students attended tap dance classes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting information from both the bar graph and the pie chart. An overview is attempted, noting that private studios are the most popular location. However, the charts are actually a pie chart for locations and a bar chart for types of dance classes by age group, which the student misidentifies in the opening sentence as 'horizontal bar graph'. Furthermore, there are inaccuracies in reporting the data; for example, the student states that 'mostly young people who are under 11, like ballet and tap dance classes except modern dance class', whereas the data actually shows 300 under-11s doing modern dance, which is still a substantial number. The figures for the under-11 ballet and tap are stated as 'ranges from 400 to 600 students respectively', which is slightly imprecise reading of the gridlines (ballet is 600, tap is 450). Overall, the response addresses the prompt but contains noticeable data inaccuracies and minor misinterpretations of chart types.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is divided into four paragraphs, following a logical layout with an introduction, overall statement, and two body paragraphs dedicated to each chart. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward transitions and mechanical linking, such as 'At a fleeting glance' and 'Age group with 11-16'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and cohesive devices are used rather rigidly. Paragraphing structure is present, but the overall flow feels slightly disjointed due to phrasing choices like 'Age group with 11-16, more than 500 students contribute to modern dance classes'. While the text holds together as a coherent whole, the mechanical nature of the cohesive devices and minor organisational clumsiness place this firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, incorporating terms such as 'location', 'illustrates', 'prefer', and 'community halls'. However, there are numerous lexical and collocational errors throughout the text. The student writes 'currently attend by young people', 'prefer private studios as a best location', and 'go private studios', omitting necessary prepositions and using incorrect verb forms (passive instead of active). There are also awkward collocations like 'students are performing ballet and tap dance classes' instead of 'taking' or 'attending'. While the range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic information, these persistent inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Mostly young people who are under 11, like ballet and tap dance classes except modern dance class.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including missing prepositions ('go private studios', 'visit community halls and other'), incorrect verb voice ('classes currently attend by'), and punctuation errors. The sentence structure 'Age group with 11-16, more than 500 students contribute...' lacks a proper subject or prepositional integration. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they occur frequently enough to impede smooth reading and demonstrate limited control over complex grammar.

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

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