Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-11

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 illustrates the locations and types of dance lessons for individuals in a village in Australia recently.

Overall, the diagram shows that dance classes in private studios are more common than in school halls whereas, by age group ballet would increase under the young age group as compared to Modern.

First and foremost, the chart indicates that the location of the dance classes on the map. In private studios 48% as compared with the school halls 24% and other community halls 18% in addition to college-based studios 10%.

Additionally, the graph shows the types of dance classes in ballet for children under 11 age of 11 by 600 as compared to Modern for individuals between 11 and 16 around 510. The type of dance under the tap from 11 to 16 410 decreases among the youngsters by around 450.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main location pattern and include the four percentages, correctly noting that private studios account for the largest share. You also attempt to compare dance types across age groups. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: “ballet would increase under the young age group” does not explain that ballet is more popular among under-11s, while modern is more popular among 11–16-year-olds. The details also omit the under-11 tap and modern figures and the older group’s ballet figure, and the final comparison is difficult to interpret. The response is 141 words, below the required 150. To strengthen coverage, give a clear overview of the main contrasts and report the key figures accurately and explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and signposting such as “Overall,” “Additionally” and “First and foremost” helps indicate stages of the report. However, progression is not consistently clear: the overview combines location and age-group information in a confusing sentence, and the final paragraph moves between ballet, modern and tap without a clear comparison framework. Some linking phrases are also mechanical rather than helping the reader follow relationships. Organise the details in a more predictable order—for example, describe the location shares first, then compare the three dance styles by age group—and use explicit comparisons such as “whereas” or “by contrast” only where the relationship is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “private studios,” “school halls,” “college-based studios,” “ballet” and “age group,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing charts. “The location … on the map” suggests a map rather than a chart, and “the type of dance under the tap” makes the meaning difficult to follow. “Individuals” and “youngsters” are repeated or less suitable than direct references to students or age groups. Aim for precise reporting language and natural collocations, such as “accounted for,” “was attended by,” and “the older age group.” This would make the comparisons clearer and reduce the effort required to understand some details.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a comparison with “whereas,” but control is inconsistent and errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. For example, “ballet would increase under the young age group” has an unclear grammatical relationship, and “ballet for children under 11 age of 11 by 600” is not a complete, well-formed comparison. The sentence beginning “In private studios 48%” also lacks a clear verb, while “the type of dance … decreases” does not clearly identify what is decreasing. Use complete clauses with a subject and verb, and check that comparisons have parallel forms: “Under-11s attended 600 ballet classes, compared with 300 among 11–16-year-olds.”

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