Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-30

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 shows the percentage of people holding full driving licenses in Great Britain by age and sex. For the men, during the period of age 17-20, almost equal number shows during 1975-76 and 2006. however, as we move to age limits above that we see more people having licenses till in the age of 50 to 59 years. Then came the downfall part, where the men with licenses starts to do down.

If we talk about women, the peak years with most women having the licenses are those who are in their 40s. We also notice that in 1975-76, the least number of women with driving licenses are those who are above 70 years old.

In conclusion, men in their 50s have the greatest number of licenses while women who are in their 40s have the greatest number of licenses. The other noticeable thing is the women in 2006 have more number of licenses compared to women in 1975-76. While this difference is not too big in men.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, such as the peak age groups for both sexes and the general trend of licence holding. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks precision. For instance, the description of the trends is vague (e.g., 'downfall part', 'as we move to age limits above that'). The comparison between 1975-76 and 2006 is mentioned but lacks specific data points to support the claims. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific percentages from the graph to substantiate your observations and ensure the overview clearly highlights the most significant differences between the two years.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for a report. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward, such as 'If we talk about women' and 'Then came the downfall part'. The progression of ideas is clear, but the transition between sentences could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall flow is hindered by informal phrasing and a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect the data points effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You rely on basic descriptors like 'greatest number' and 'not too big'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'almost equal number shows' and 'the men with licenses starts to do down'. To improve, focus on using more academic vocabulary related to data description, such as 'proportion', 'fluctuated', 'peaked', and 'marginal difference', rather than conversational language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'the men with licenses starts to do down' (subject-verb agreement) and 'the peak years... are those who are' (clunky phrasing). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence construction often feels repetitive. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and using a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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

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