Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-31

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 illustrates the average hours spent on the internet by European male and female of six age groups.

Overall, the highest number of men spent more time on the internet rather than women, except two age groups. The highest number of internet usage accounted at age 16-20 while lowest number was reported at age 51+. In comparison, both male and female internet usage declined over the period.

Age between 11-15 male spent average 8 hours online while female spent 6 hours. The highest number of internet usage accounted at age 16-20 with male spent 19 hours and female spent 18 hours. The internet usage hours dramatically fell to 7 and 5 respectively at age 21-25 and continued to decline.

Age 26-30 male and female spent same amount of time online, four hours and men reduced to three hours at age 31-50 while female continued same interest. Both male and female showed lowest interest in online at age 51+ the time accounted for 2 hours and three hours respectively.

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 peak usage at 16-20 and the lowest at 51+. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; you stated that usage declined over the period, but the data shows fluctuations rather than a consistent downward trend. Additionally, some data points are described unclearly, such as the claim that usage 'continued to decline' after age 21-25, which does not accurately reflect the provided figures for all groups. To improve, ensure your overview captures the general trends more precisely and verify that your specific data points align exactly with the table provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing specific age groups. Cohesion is generally clear, though some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'In comparison, both male and female internet usage declined over the period.' The use of referencing is mostly effective, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive devices rather than relying on simple sentence structures. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different age categories, which helps the reader follow the comparison.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'accounted for', 'dramatically fell', and 'usage'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'highest number of internet usage' is slightly unnatural; 'highest level of internet usage' or 'greatest amount of time spent' would be more precise. Additionally, there are minor errors in phrasing, such as 'men reduced to three hours', which implies the men themselves changed rather than the time spent. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise descriptors for trends would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'European male and female of six age groups' (should be 'European males and females across six age groups') and 'the time accounted for 2 hours and three hours respectively' (which lacks a clear subject). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and article usage will help improve accuracy.

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

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