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 graphs illustrate the proportion of males and females in Great Britain with full driving licenses in 1975/76 and 2006 according to different age groups.
It can be said that the percentage of driving license holders in both genders increased greatly. Men had high figures compared with women, especially older people.
To illustrate, in 1975/76 around 35% of males aged 17–20 had driving licenses, while this percentage was 20% for females. The percentage intensified significantly in the age group of 21–29 (around 78% for males and 42% for females), which means almost all men aged 30–49 and 80% of them had licenses, compared with less than half of females.
As in 2006 the driving license ownership increased in most of the groups.
Around 90% of males aged 30–59 years old held the license, while almost 80% of females had the license. However, among females aged 70 and older only around 30% had licenses, compared with around 75% of males.
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 graphs, identifying the overall trend of increased license ownership and noting the gender gap. However, the data reporting is inconsistent and occasionally confusing. For instance, the statement 'almost all men aged 30–49 and 80% of them had licenses' is unclear and mathematically contradictory. Furthermore, the comparison between 1975/76 and 2006 is somewhat disjointed, as the data for the 2006 period is not fully integrated into the comparative analysis. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are cited accurately and that comparisons between age groups and years are clearly delineated.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an overview to specific data points. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To illustrate' and 'However', but the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. The transition between the 1975/76 data and the 2006 data is abrupt, lacking a clear linking phrase to signal the shift in time periods. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the logical progression within the body paragraphs could be improved by grouping the data more effectively rather than listing figures in a way that feels slightly disjointed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'proportion', 'intensified', and 'ownership' used correctly. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices. For example, 'The percentage intensified significantly' is not the most natural way to describe a rise in statistics; 'increased' or 'rose' would be more appropriate. Additionally, the phrase 'high figures compared with women' is slightly imprecise. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'held the license' (should be 'held a license') and 'As in 2006 the driving license ownership increased' (which is a slightly awkward introductory clause). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The control of articles and prepositions is generally good, but the sentence structure could be more varied to demonstrate greater flexibility and accuracy in complex constructions.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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