Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-31

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 and bar charts show information on the location and different classes of dances to young people in a town of Australia.

Overall, it can be seen that Private studios is a very popular place for dancing and second popular location is that School halls, while students show little interest on college-based studios. In contrast, under ages group gradually increase where 11-16 ages students minimally decrease all types of class.

Ballet dance students start their practice with 600 students, where the numbers of students of under 11 300. This trend follows Tap and Modern dance classes about 450 for 11-16, 320 for under 11, and nearly 550 under 11, and 300 for 11-16, respectively.

From the pie chart, the most popular site is private studios where practice 48% students, then second popular place is school halls (after-school) 24%. The third favorite location is community halls and others which is only 18 percent. In contrast, the quite popular place is college- based studios which is only 10 per cent.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover both charts and identify the main location pattern: private studios lead at 48%, followed by school halls at 24%, community halls at 18%, and college-based studios at 10%. You also compare the age groups across ballet, tap and modern, and most reported figures are close to the chart. However, the overview is unclear and includes an inaccurate trend: the older group does not “minimally decrease all types”; it has fewer ballet students but more modern students, while tap numbers are similar. The dance-class figures are also presented in a confusing order, particularly the modern figures. State the key contrasts accurately in the overview, then report each style’s figures clearly by age group.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate discussion of the dance figures and locations. This helps the reader see that both charts are being addressed. However, progression is uneven: the paragraph beginning “Ballet dance students…” moves through ballet, tap and modern in a compressed sequence, making it difficult to match each number to its age group. The overview’s claim about a general increase or decrease also conflicts with the figures that follow. Some linking phrases, such as “In contrast” and “This trend follows,” do not clearly express the relationship between the information. Organise the bar-chart details by dance style, explicitly pairing the two age groups, and use transitions only where they clarify a comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “popular,” “students,” “location,” and “percentage,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons you intend. However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “classes of dances to young people,” “interest on,” and “practice 48% students.” “Quite popular” is also misleading for the least common location, which accounts for only 10%. Repetition of “popular place” and “students” limits the range. Aim for precise reporting language and natural collocations, such as “dance styles attended by young people,” “interest in,” and “classes are held in.” This would make the description clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including an overview with a contrast and a sentence using “where.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to follow. For example, “Private studios is” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the numbers of students of under 11 300” lacks a clear grammatical structure. The sentence beginning “This trend follows Tap and Modern…” also has unclear clause construction and number placement. Articles, plurals and age-group phrasing need attention, as in “the under-11 group” and “students aged 11–16.” Build shorter, complete comparison sentences first, then combine them with accurate clauses. Check agreement and ensure every figure has a clear subject.

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