Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-11

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 hours spent on the internet by males and females of different age groups in Europe.

Overall, the younger groups used the internet more than the older groups. In addition, the man accounted for the highest number of individuals who assessed the internet the most.

Focusing on the men, age- groups 11 to 15 accounted for 8 individuals that had access to the internet, and increased sharply to 19 with age groups 16-20, while the women had 6 people using the internet within the same age groups as the men, and also increased noticeably to 18 individuals with age groups 16-20.

As citizens got to age 21to 25 they had a significant decrease in the usage of the internet. For the males, age 21 to 25 had 7, age 31-51 had 3% while 51 and above had 2 male using the internet, while for the females 5, 4, and 3 respectively. It is worth noting that age groups for men and women under the age bracket of 26 to 30 had equal individuals using the internet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the data, but there are significant issues with accuracy. You misinterpret the data by referring to 'individuals' rather than 'average hours'. Furthermore, the data points provided are often incorrect or confusingly presented, such as '3%' which does not appear in the source. While you attempt to make comparisons between age groups and genders, the lack of precision in reporting the figures hinders the clarity of the report. To improve, ensure you accurately transcribe the data from the table and clearly label the units of measurement (hours) rather than using the word 'individuals'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition 'As citizens got to age 21 to 25' is a bit awkward. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when you list figures without explicitly stating which category they belong to. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each sentence flows logically into the next, clearly connecting the data points to the groups being discussed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You use 'assessed' incorrectly (likely meaning 'accessed') and 'individuals' to describe hours, which is a significant lexical error. There is little use of less common vocabulary or sophisticated collocations related to data description. To improve, focus on using precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'a significant decline', 'a sharp increase', or 'remained consistent', and ensure you use words that accurately reflect the data provided in the prompt.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You have several errors, such as 'the man accounted for' (should be 'men'), 'age- groups' (incorrect hyphenation), and '2 male' (should be '2 males'). Additionally, the sentence structure in the final paragraph is fragmented and difficult to follow. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and pluralisation to improve your grammatical control.

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

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