Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-11

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 bar chart illustrates the proportion of driving licence holders for both men and women age groups in Great Britain for both 1975/76 and 2006 years.

It can be observed that for men, for age group 17 to 20 there was 38% youngsters had a licence for both 1975/76 and 2006 years. While 70% adults obtained licence in 2006, 78% individuals became a licence holder in 1975/76 for age group between 21 to 29. From 30 to 39 years age group accounted for 84% for both mentioned timeline. However, in 2006, licence holder increased and reached to 85% while people decreased and reached to 60% for age group between 60 and 69. For senior citizen people in 2006 rate of licence holder stood at 78%.

It can be seen that for women, for age group 17 to 20, 30% young girls had licence in 2006 whereas 20% girls became licence holder in 1975/76. For age group 40 and 49, young women got a licence almost double (80%) than 1975/76(40%). Interestingly, ratio of becoming licence holder was negligible in 1975/76 for senior citizen women while around 30% women became holder in 2006.

Overall, although less senior citizen women were interested in becoming licence holder, more men were interested in it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, but the presentation is somewhat disorganized. While you identify key trends, the comparison between the two years is often confusing. For instance, stating that 84% was the figure for both timelines for the 30-39 age group is inaccurate based on the visual data. Furthermore, the overview is weak; it focuses on personal interest rather than summarizing the significant shifts in driving licence ownership across age groups and genders. To improve, ensure you group data logically (e.g., by age or by trend) rather than listing individual percentages, and provide a clearer, more analytical summary of the overall patterns observed in the graphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression within them is inconsistent. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'for age group'. Some sentences are disjointed, making it difficult to follow the comparison between 1975/76 and 2006. For example, the transition between discussing men and women could be smoother. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus, such as comparing the two years for a specific gender or highlighting the most significant age-related differences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'youngsters', 'young girls', and 'senior citizen people'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'ratio of becoming licence holder was negligible'. Using more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'proportion', 'trend', 'fluctuation', or 'significant increase', would enhance the quality of your writing. Additionally, avoid informal phrasing like 'young girls' when referring to adults in a specific age bracket; 'young women' or 'individuals in the 17-20 age range' is more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'for both 1975/76 and 2006 years' (redundant), 'licence holder increased' (missing article), and 'people decreased and reached to 60%' (unclear subject). There are also issues with preposition usage and tense consistency. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that your comparisons are grammatically complete.

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

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