Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-12

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 6.5)

The provided bar charts compare the percentage of car driving license holders in Great Britain, differentiated by age and sex, for the years 1975/76 and 2006.

Overall, the data reveals a general upward trend in license ownership across nearly all age groups and for both genders between the two periods. However, it's also evident that men consistently held a greater proportion of license than women throughout both years.

According to the graph, in 1975/76, the 50-59 age group demonstrated the highest percentage of male drivers, at approximately 80%, while women in this age range held around 40% of licenses. By 2006, the male percentage in this group remained relatively stable, while the female figure climbed dramatically by 60%.

Moreover, a similar pattern is observed amongst younger drivers. In 2006, both the 17-20 and 21-29 age brackets exhibited considerably higher percentages of license holders compared to 1975/76, suggesting that younger individuals were more likely to obtain driving licenses. This highlights a shift towards earlier driving adoption in the more recent period.

Finally, even the 70 and over age group experienced a notable increase in license holders for both men and women in 2006. This could indicate improved health, greater access to vehicles, and continued mobility for older adults, contributing to the overall rise in driving license ownership across Great Britain.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and appropriate comparisons between the two years, 1975/76 and 2006. The student successfully identifies key features, such as the overall upward trend in license ownership across age groups and genders, and the consistent gap between male and female drivers. Specific data points are cited effectively, such as the 50-59 age group statistics in 1975/76 and 2006, though a few more specific figures for other brackets could have strengthened the comparisons further. The selection of main features is accurate overall, meeting the requirements of a Band 7 response under the IELTS descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and well-structured body paragraphs that discuss specific age groups. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to guide the reader through the comparisons, using transitions such as 'Overall', 'However', 'According to the graph', and 'Moreover'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the visual data. The progression of ideas is smooth and logical throughout, supporting a coherent overall arrangement that fully satisfies the Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'license ownership', 'age brackets', 'proportion', and 'upward trend'. There are attempts to use less common lexical items and descriptive phrases, like 'climbed dramatically' and 'earlier driving adoption'. However, there is a minor grammatical collocation error in the second paragraph ('proportion of license' instead of 'licenses'), which prevents the score from reaching higher bands. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate, precise enough to convey the main trends, and causes no impediment to communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and participial phrases effectively (e.g., 'differentiated by age and sex, for the years...'). There is a high frequency of error-free sentences, and control of grammar and punctuation is generally strong. Minor slips do occur, such as the singular noun form 'proportion of license' in the second paragraph, but these do not impede communication. The variety of structures and reliable overall accuracy firmly place this performance within the Band 7 range.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.