Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-14

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 graph illustrates the proportion of full driving licence holders by sex and age in Great Britan in 1975 and 2006.

Overall, middle-aged men had reletively high proportion rates, whereas women generally recorded higher figure in the middle-age group.

First in 1975/76, younger men had lowest figure with around 38%, however this figure gradually increased across age group. Among men aged 40-49, the percentage was just above 80%and it declined further among older age-groups with approximately 37%. Second in 2006, The men under 17-20 stood at the proportion of 39%, then increased and reached on around 95% among 40-49 and 50-59 age-group. The percentage for men was recorded among senior citizens at around 78%.

Among women in 1975-76, 20% of those aged 17-24 had full driving licence. This figure increased by approximately 45% in middle age group. However, the ratio of driving licence holders almost declined among older women. In opposite 2006, the percentage of younger women around 36%. Then, the figure for the early and late middle age-group were almost similar around 80% respectively. 25% older women had full driving licence in this year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and make a broad comparison between men and women, but the overview is unclear: “middle-aged men had relatively high proportion rates” is not contrasted precisely with the women’s pattern. Several details are inaccurate or confusing. For example, the chart’s youngest group is 17–20, not “17–24”; men’s 2006 peak is about 92% for ages 50–59, rather than “around 95%” across two groups; and the older men’s figure is about 77%, not 78%. The statement that women’s figures “almost declined” with age in 1975 is also misleading, since they rise to ages 30–39 before falling. Select the main trends more clearly and report age groups and comparisons accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for men and women. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, particularly with “First,” “Second,” and repeated “Then” constructions. Some links also obscure the comparison: “In opposite 2006” does not clearly signal the contrast, and “however” introduces a sentence whose relationship to the preceding trend is not fully clear. Grouping the two years together for each sex is workable, but clearer topic sentences and more precise references to age bands would help readers track the data. Use linking expressions to show actual contrasts or changes, rather than relying on a repeated sequence of markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “increased,” and “declined,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “proportion rates,” “reached on around 95%,” and “the percentage for men was recorded among senior citizens.” There are also spelling errors, including “Britan” and “reletively,” and some imprecise labels such as “senior citizens” instead of the chart’s older age group. These issues limit precision and sometimes make the data difficult to interpret. Aim for straightforward, accurate phrasing such as “the proportion of licence holders” and “rose to,” and use the chart’s age categories consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “whereas,” “however,” and “among,” but control is uneven. Errors in sentence construction and agreement appear in phrases such as “younger men had lowest figure” and “the early and late middle age-group were almost similar.” Some sentences are incomplete or awkwardly formed, for example, “The percentage for men was recorded among senior citizens at around 78%,” which does not clearly state what happened. Punctuation and spacing also need attention, as in “80%and.” Work on articles, plural forms, and complete sentence patterns, and check that each sentence has a clear subject and verb. More accurate control of these structures would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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

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