Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-01

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 figures compare the proportion of men and women driving licence holders across seven different age groups in Britain during 1975/76 and 2006. Although, there are more men driving licence holders than women throughout this period, the number of women driving licence holder increased much more compared to men.

Men aged 70 and over experienced the greatest increment in the ownership rate, with the figure peaking from 38% in 1975/76 to 78% in 2006. Among age ranges 60-69, 50-59, 40-49, 30-39 and 17-20, the improvement is not as significant. But, the figure for 50-59 boasts the highest ownership rate of around 90% across both men and women. Additionally the 21-29 age group records the only instance where ownership rate actually fell.

In women's case, their highest recorded rise can be observed in the figure for age range 40-49, surging from 38% to 80%. This is also their highest ownership rate across both years. Every other age group shows considerable improvement, most noticeably the women aged 70 and

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response identifies key trends and makes relevant comparisons between the two years and genders. However, the summary is incomplete as the text cuts off abruptly at the end, leaving the final point about women aged 70 and over unfinished. While the overview is present, the lack of a conclusion and the incomplete final sentence mean that some data is not fully reported. To reach a higher band, ensure all trends are fully articulated and the response is brought to a logical conclusion. The selection of data is generally accurate, but the incomplete nature of the final paragraph limits the overall coverage of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Additionally', and 'In women's case'. However, the flow is interrupted by the unfinished final sentence, which negatively impacts the overall coherence. The progression of ideas is logical, moving from a general overview to specific age-group comparisons. To improve, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and that cohesive devices are used to link ideas smoothly across the entire text, avoiding abrupt endings that disrupt the logical structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more precise terminology such as 'proportion', 'ownership rate', and 'surging'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'greatest increment' (which is slightly unnatural in this context) and 'in women's case' (which could be more formally phrased). The range is sufficient to convey the main features of the graph, but it lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on more precise collocations related to data description would enhance the quality of the writing.

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 the unnecessary comma after 'Although' and the missing subject/verb completion in the final sentence. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are noticeable. The use of comparative structures is generally accurate, but the control over punctuation and sentence completion needs to be more consistent. To improve, focus on proofreading to ensure that all sentences are complete and that punctuation is used correctly to support the clarity of your arguments.

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

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