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.

Average hours spent on the Internet by European people of different age groups

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The table chart illustrates information on the average hours spent on internet by European people from different age groups.

Overall, it is clear that both gender in 16-20 age group spend most hours online on the internet. While, the age group over 51+ spend lowest hours on the internet. Additionally, the difference between highest and lowest figure has significant.

Looking at details, highest internet using in the younger age groups, specifically those aged 16-20, with male spending 19 hours on the internet, while female spend 1 hour less. The second-highest internet uses are in 11-15 aged, where males spend 8 hours and females 6, slightly more than those 21-25 aged, where males spend 7 hours and females 5 hours respectively.

For the remaining age groups, uses internet hardly females in the 26-30 and 31-50 spend 4 hours, in contrast, males spend 4 hours and 31-50 spend 1 hour less. The 51+ age groups figures shows lowest, males spend 2 hours and females spend 1 hour more.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the table, including the highest and lowest usage groups. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. While you identify the 16-20 age group as the highest, the description of the remaining groups is confusing and lacks clarity. For instance, the sentence 'uses internet hardly females in the 26-30 and 31-50 spend 4 hours' is difficult to follow and does not accurately reflect the data provided. To achieve a higher band, ensure that comparisons are clearly linked to the specific data points and avoid vague or grammatically broken descriptions of the trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'While, the age group over 51+ spend lowest hours' uses 'While' incorrectly as a sentence starter. Additionally, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is abrupt. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to determine which data point is being discussed. Improving the use of linking words such as 'furthermore', 'in contrast', and 'consequently' would help the flow of ideas significantly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on repetitive phrasing such as 'spend hours on the internet' and 'internet uses'. There are also issues with word formation and collocation, such as 'highest internet using' instead of 'highest internet usage' and 'the difference... has significant' instead of 'is significant'. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'spend' (e.g., 'allocate', 'devote') and use more precise nouns to describe the data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('both gender... spend', 'figures shows'), incorrect word order, and missing articles. For example, 'the 51+ age groups figures shows lowest' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally retrievable, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering basic sentence patterns and proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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

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