Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The table gives information about the average hours spent on the Internet by European people of different age groups.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The table compares the average time spent on the internet by Europeans of different age categories.

Overall, people in the 16 to 20 age group spent a substantial amount of time compared to all other age groups. While people in the 51-and-above age category spent a small amount of time.

In the initial years, people spent considerably more time. In detail, people in the 16-to 20-year age group recorded the highest hours spent on the internet, with 19 hours for males and 18 hours for females. Children in the 11-to-15 age group spent around 8 hours for males and 6 hours for females. Meanwhile, in the age group of 21-25, people reduced their internet usage from 19 to 7 hours for boys and from 18 to 5 hours for girls.

In the older age groups, they spent a small amount of time compared to the younger age groups. The 26- 30 age group spent equal time, which is 4 hours for both age groups. Followed to, the 31-50 age group males spent only 3 hours, whereas females remained stable at 4 hours. Finally, the over 51 age group recorded the least.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data and makes relevant comparisons. You successfully identified the highest and lowest usage groups. However, the report lacks clarity regarding the 'initial years' mentioned in the third paragraph, as the prompt does not provide a timeline or historical data, making this reference confusing. Additionally, the description of the 21-25 age group is inaccurate; you state usage 'reduced' from 19 to 7 hours, but the data likely shows a comparison between age groups rather than a chronological change for the same individuals. Ensure you interpret the data as a cross-sectional comparison of age groups rather than a longitudinal study.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile', 'In detail', and 'Finally' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Followed to, the 31-50 age group'. The referencing is generally clear, but the logical flow between the second and third body paragraphs could be smoother. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'substantial', 'recorded', and 'remained stable'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'Followed to' instead of 'Following this' or 'Subsequently'. You also use 'boys' and 'girls' to describe age groups that include adults (e.g., 21-25), which is inappropriate; 'males' and 'females' or 'men' and 'women' would be more precise. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but lacks the sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are some grammatical errors, such as sentence fragments ('While people in the 51-and-above age category spent a small amount of time.') and awkward phrasing ('The 26- 30 age group spent equal time, which is 4 hours for both age groups.'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are minor issues with spacing and hyphenation. The errors present do not impede communication, but they do limit the score as they occur frequently enough to be noticeable.

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

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