Key features to report

• Women were more active than men in five of the six age groups; the only exception is the youngest group, 15 to 24, where 52.8% of men exercised regularly compared with 47.7% of women.
• The male figure falls sharply from 52.8% in the 15 to 24 group to a low of 39.5% among 35 to 44 year olds, then rises steadily with each older group to 46.7% for those aged 65 and over.
• The female figure follows almost the opposite pattern: it climbs from 47.7% to 52.5% by the 35 to 44 group, peaks at 53.3% among 45 to 54 year olds, stays at 53% for 55 to 64 year olds and then drops to 47.1% for the oldest group.
• The gender gap is widest in the 35 to 44 group, where women (52.5%) outnumber men (39.5%) by 13 percentage points, and it almost disappears in the oldest group (47.1% against 46.7%).
• The highest figure on the chart is 53.3% for women aged 45 to 54, and the lowest is 39.5% for men aged 35 to 44.
• All values lie in a fairly narrow band between roughly 40% and 53%, so no group has a large majority of active people.

Model overview

Overall, women were more likely than men to do regular physical activity in every age group except the youngest. While male participation dipped in early middle age and then recovered gradually, female participation rose to a peak in middle age before falling among the elderly, so the two sexes were almost level in the oldest group.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the bar chart compares the proportion of Australian males and females in six age brackets who exercised regularly in 2010.

2. 2

   Overview

   State the main points without figures: women were more active in all groups except 15 to 24, men's participation fell to a low in the 35 to 44 group and then rose, women's rose to a middle-age peak and then fell, and the sexes were almost equal at 65 and over.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: men

   Describe the male pattern with figures: the highest rate of 52.8% among 15 to 24 year olds, the fall to 39.5% at 35 to 44, then a steady rise through 43.1% and 45.1% to 46.7% for the over-65s. Mention that the youngest group is the only one where men lead.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: women and the gender gap

   Describe the female pattern: from 47.7% for the youngest group up to 52.5% and a peak of 53.3% at 45 to 54, still 53% at 55 to 64, then down to 47.1% for the oldest. Compare with men, pointing out the 13-point gap at 35 to 44 and the near equality at 65 and over.

Useful comparisons

• Compare the two sexes in the youngest group, the only one in which men (52.8%) were more active than women (47.7%).
• Contrast the opposite shapes of the two sets of bars: a U-shaped pattern for men and an inverted U for women.
• Highlight the widest gap, 39.5% of men against 52.5% of women aged 35 to 44, which is 13 percentage points.
• Point out the near equality in the oldest group, 46.7% of men and 47.1% of women.
• Group the three female middle-age figures together (52.5%, 53.3% and 53%) as a plateau at just over half.
• Compare the extremes on the whole chart: the peak of 53.3% for women aged 45 to 54 and the low of 39.5% for men aged 35 to 44.

Band 8+ model answer

200 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.

Why this answer scores highly

Task Achievement

The answer opens with a clear overview of the main contrast between the sexes, then supports the male and female patterns with accurate figures and highlights the widest gap and the near equality among the over-65s, without listing every bar.

Coherence and Cohesion

Each body paragraph deals with one sex, and the second paragraph links back to the first with comparisons, using devices such as by contrast, thereafter and as a result to show how the data fit together.

Lexical Resource

The answer varies the key idea with phrases such as exercised regularly, kept active and participation, and uses precise comparative language like outnumbered, reached a low of and marginally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Comparative and superlative structures, relative clauses and participle phrases are used accurately, and the past tense is kept consistently because all the data refer to 2010.

Useful vocabulary

regular physical activity

exercise or sport done on a routine basis; paraphrase it as exercised regularly or kept active

participation rate

the percentage of a group who take part in something

age bracket

a range of ages treated as one group, such as 25 to 34

the over-65s

people aged 65 and over

early middle age

roughly the late thirties and early forties, useful for the 35 to 44 group

outnumber

be greater in number or proportion than another group

gender gap

the difference between the figures for men and women

percentage points

the arithmetic difference between two percentages

reach a low of

fall to the smallest figure in a set

peak at

reach the highest figure in a set

level off

stay at about the same figure after rising or falling

marginally

by a very small amount, as with 47.1% against 46.7%

the reverse was true

the opposite situation applied, useful when men lead in one group and women in the others

Common mistakes

• Describing the chart as a change over time, with words like increased from 2010, when the data covers a single year and the comparisons are between age groups.
• Saying that women were more active than men in every age group, which ignores the youngest group where men led with 52.8%.
• Treating the percentages as numbers of people, for example saying more women than men exercised, rather than a higher proportion of women.
• Listing all twelve figures one by one without pointing out the opposite patterns for men and women.
• Missing the key comparison in the oldest group, where the two sexes were almost equal.
• Writing no overview, or an overview full of figures, which limits the Task Achievement band.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

This bar chart about regular physical activity among Australian men and women in 2010 is Writing Task 1 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 12 Academic, published in 2017.

Should I organise the answer by sex or by age group?

Organising by sex works best, with one paragraph on men and one on women, because each sex shows a clear pattern across the age groups. Make comparisons between the two in the second paragraph.

Which tense should I use for this chart?

Use the past simple, because all the figures describe 2010. Avoid trend verbs that suggest change over time, such as increased over the years.

How many words should I write?

Write at least 150 words; about 170 to 200 words is enough to give an overview and the key comparisons in 20 minutes.