Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-03
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The graphs below show the percentage of people holding full driving licences in Great Britain by age and sex.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Full car driving licence holders: by sex and age
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The graph illustrates the ratio of both males and females with different age groups having driving licenses in Britain.
Overall, the highest percentages of men had car licenses, while women had the lowest ratio. In addition, a large number of males aged between 40 and 69 years were carrying licenses in the year 2006 as compared to 1975.
In 1975, the trend showed a significant decline in the female proportion having a license, especially in 70-year-olds, whereas there was a gradual rise in the number of women with age taking a license with the passage of time in females in 2006.
However, the male had an increase in the percentage of people keeping a license, mostly within the year 2006. In contrast, in 1975, old men had the smallest ratio of 70 years, but those 40 to 69 years old had the largest percentage. Furthermore, 17-20-year-old women had almost same proportion of taking license in both years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the graph, such as the overall higher percentage of male licence holders and the general increase in licence ownership between 1975 and 2006. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks precision. For instance, the description of the trends is occasionally confusing, such as the reference to '70-year-olds' in 1975, which is not clearly supported by the data provided. The comparison between age groups is also slightly muddled. To reach a higher band, you should ensure that the data points selected are clearly linked to the specific age categories and years mentioned, avoiding vague generalizations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'In addition', 'However', and 'Furthermore'. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and unclear referencing. For example, the transition between the 1975 and 2006 data in the third paragraph is disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is occasionally mechanical, and the relationship between the ideas could be more fluid to improve the overall flow of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for a basic description of the trends. You use terms like 'ratio', 'proportion', and 'significant decline' appropriately. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'carrying licenses' (instead of 'holding') and 'taking a license' (instead of 'obtaining' or 'holding'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise terminology that would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control. Improving your grasp of collocations related to data description would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'the male had an increase' (should be 'there was an increase in the percentage of males') and 'had almost same proportion' (missing an article). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence construction is occasionally awkward, which impacts the overall fluency. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as these errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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