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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 8.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

211 words AcademicTask 1Bar Chart
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Compare the sexes by age band: men have the higher rate only among 15–24-year-olds.
  • Describe the contrasting patterns: the male rate falls to a low among 35–44-year-olds before recovering, while the female rate rises to a plateau above 50% from ages 35 to 64.
  • Highlight the endpoint: the two rates are almost equal among people aged 65 and over.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the chart, population, measure, age groups, and year.
  2. Give an overview of the main gender contrast and the near-equal oldest-group figures.
  3. Describe the male figures across the age groups, noting the low and later recovery.
  4. Describe the female figures, noting the rise and peak, then compare the oldest group.
Useful vocabulary & examples
participation rate
The percentage of a group taking part in an activity.

The male participation rate reached its lowest point among 35–44-year-olds.

reach a low
Fall to the smallest value in the figures being discussed.

The figure for men reached a low of roughly 39% in the 35–44 age group.

peak at
Reach the highest value in a set of figures.

Female participation peaked at approximately 53% in two age groups.

remain almost level
Be very similar, with only a small difference.

The male and female rates remained almost level among those aged 65 and over.

Task Prompt

The bar chart below shows the percentage of Australian men and women in different age groups who did regular physical activity in 2010.
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 8.0

The provided chart illustrates the distribution of individuals across different age brackets in Australia who consistently participated in physical activity throughout the year 2010. Overall, it is evident that a higher proportion of females engaged in regular exercise across all age groups, with the exception of the younger demographic. Notably, the practice of physical activity showed marked differences by age and sex. Among 15- to 24-year-olds, men recorded the highest male rate, at about 52%, compared with roughly 48% for women. However, the pattern reversed in every older group except the final category, where the rates were nearly equal. For women, participation rose from around 48% in the youngest group to approximately 53% among those aged 35–44, then remained close to this level through age 64 before falling to about 47% for those 65 and over. Men's rate, by contrast, declined from about 52% to a low of around 39% in the 35–44 group, before recovering gradually to about 46% among the oldest participants. The largest gender gap was in the 35–44 group, at roughly 13 percentage points in women's favour, whereas the difference among those aged 65 and over was negligible. Overall, women had higher participation across most age brackets, while men's rate followed a U-shaped trend.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Replace the broad opening description with a direct statement that the chart compares male and female participation rates across six age groups.
2
Keep the overview focused on the two central patterns: men lead only in the youngest group, and their rate falls before recovering as they age.
3
Use approximate values selectively to support comparisons, and phrase the chart’s time reference as “in 2010” rather than implying participation throughout the year.

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