Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-19

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 6.0)

The bar graphs illustrate what percentage of males and females in Great Britain of various ages who hold a full drivers licence between 1975/76 and 2006.

Overall, it is evident that across both years and the seven age groups there are more men with full drivers licences as opposed to women. Additionally, by the end period there are more full licence holders with an increase in each age category across both genders except one.

In 1875/76, there are more male licence holders than females in each age category. Both groups experience a slight increase initially and both peak between 30-39 before gradually decreasing and by the eldest age of 70 and over women licence holders falls to their lowest total of round 5% whiereas 70 and over men stays steady to 17-20 at almost 40%.

In the latter year of 2006, both categories again experience an increase in licence holders. Notably, each age range experiences an increase compared to 1975/76 except men aged 21-29. By the final age group, almost double the amount of males have drivers licences compared to those aged 17-20 whilst females almost stays identical at around 30% in both 1975/76 and 2006.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student attempts to cover all parts of the task by reporting main features and making comparisons between age groups and sexes. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, noting that men generally held more licences than women and that overall figures increased over time. However, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting and interpretation. For instance, the student states 'In 1875/76' (a typographical error for 1975/76) and misreads some data points, such as claiming women fell to around 5% at age 70 and over (the chart shows roughly 3%) and making confused comparisons about the 21-29 age group and the 70 and over group. Despite these flaws, the response addresses the prompt adequately, achieving a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged logically into four paragraphs, following a standard introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs covering different years. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'Overall', 'Additionally', and 'In the latter year of 2006'. However, referencing and logical transitions are sometimes faulty, particularly in the third paragraph where sentences like 'whieresas 70 and over men stays steady to 17-20 at almost 40%' lack clarity and precision. Paragraphing is used appropriately to structure the essay, but overall progression can feel a bit disjointed due to awkward phrasing. This performance aligns with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting appropriate terms such as 'percentage', 'category', 'gradually decreasing', and 'significantly'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'drivers licence' (missing apostrophe), 'whieresas', and awkward collocations like 'the eldest age' instead of 'the oldest age group'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and occasional inaccuracies. While communication is not severely impeded, these lexical limitations place the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used throughout the essay. The student attempts complex forms (e.g., 'it is evident that across both years... there are more men with full drivers licences as opposed to women'), but grammatical and punctuation errors are frequent. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('women licence holders falls', 'men stays'), missing apostrophes ('drivers licence'), and a major typographical error referring to the year as '1875/76'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band, making Band 5.5 the most appropriate score.

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

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