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 percentages of people having car driving license by their sex and age in Great Britain in 1975/76 and 2006.

Overall, the percentage of men with license is higher than women. Over the decades, percentages of men and women increased gradually and witnessed a decline in the end.

In terms of men, in 2006 from the age group of 17-20 only 39% have license which experienced a steady climb by the period of stability from 30-69 which falls to 79% in 70s as compared in 1975/76 the percentage had seen increase which falls after age of 39.

On the other hand, women in 1975/76 only 20% were license holders which rose to 42% in 30-38 age group as compared to 2006 where the highest point was 80%. in the age group of 70 and over the percentage witnessed a noticeable decline.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview that men had higher licence-holding rates than women, with rates generally rising over time. However, the overview is incomplete: the age pattern is not consistently a decline “in the end,” and the figures differ substantially by age and year. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: for example, men aged 17–20 were about 37% in 2006, while the 70-and-over figure was about 77%, not 39% and 79% respectively. The account of women also confuses the 1975/76 starting point with the 17–20 age group, and does not clearly compare the two years. The response is five words below the required minimum. Select key age-group comparisons and report them accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate sections for men and women. “On the other hand” signals a change of focus, and the reader can generally follow that the final paragraph concerns women. However, the progression within the body paragraphs is difficult to track. The men’s sentence moves from the youngest group to a broad age range and then to older people without clearly distinguishing the two years. Phrases such as “as compared in 1975/76” do not make the comparison clear, and the final sentence about women’s oldest group is disconnected from the preceding figures. Organise the details by year or by age pattern, and use clearer links between comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentages,” “age group,” “highest point,” and “noticeable decline,” so the topic is recognisable. There is also an attempt to vary language with phrases such as “steady climb” and “witnessed.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, including “people having car driving license,” “period of stability,” and “in the end.” Repetition of “percentage” and “license” also limits the range, while “license holders” is not consistently used in a natural way. Choose precise terms for the data, such as “licence-holding rate,” “rose,” and “fell,” and use “age group” consistently. More accurate collocations would make the comparisons easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a comparison introduced by “as compared to 2006.” However, complex structures are often difficult to follow, and errors occur frequently. For example, “only 39% have license” shifts into the present tense, while the chart reports past years; “the percentage had seen increase which falls” combines verb forms incorrectly. The sentence beginning “in 2006 from the age group…” also lacks a clear grammatical structure, and “the highest point was 80%. in the age group” has faulty sentence punctuation. Articles and number agreement are also inconsistent, as in “with license.” Use past-tense verbs throughout and build each comparison as a complete, clearly ordered sentence.

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.