Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-22

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 8.0)

The table compares the average amount of time, measured in hours, that European males and females across six different age demographics spend on the internet.

Overall, internet usage is highest among teenagers, with males generally spending slightly more time online than females in younger age brackets. Conversely, older age groups spend significantly less time on the internet, with females slightly exceeding males in the older categories.

Looking at the younger demographics, individuals aged 16 to 20 record the highest internet engagement. Males in this group spend an average of 19 hours online, closely followed by females at 18 hours. For those aged 11 to 15, males average 8 hours per week, compared to 6 hours for females. However, internet usage drops sharply in the 21-25 category, where males spend 7 hours and females spend 5 hours.

For older age groups, screen time continues to decline. Among 26-to-30-year-olds, both genders spend an equal amount of time online, averaging 4 hours each. In the 31-50 age group, females spend slightly more time on the internet than males, at 4 hours and 3 hours respectively. Finally, individuals aged 51 and older log the lowest overall usage, with males spending just 2 hours and females averaging 3 hours.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response8.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.5
Lexical Resource7.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy7.5
Overall8.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The student has written an excellent response that fully covers all parts of the task. The introduction accurately paraphrases the prompt, and a clear, well-developed overview highlights the main trends, specifically the peak usage among teenagers and the inverse relationship with age. Key features and data points from the table are carefully selected and accurately reported, such as the 19 hours for 16-to-20-year-old males and the lower figures for older demographics. All comparisons between males and females across age brackets are relevant and completely faithful to the provided data without any factual errors or omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

Information and ideas are logically sequenced throughout the response, creating a clear progression from the general overview to specific demographic breakdowns. The essay is divided into appropriate paragraphs, with a clear introductory paragraph, an overview paragraph, and well-structured body paragraphs focusing on younger and older age groups respectively. Cohesive devices are used naturally and effectively, such as 'Conversely', 'Looking at the younger demographics', and 'For older age groups', ensuring that the relationships between ideas are explicitly clear without any mechanical over-use.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a wide and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report. Less common lexical items and collocations are used skillfully, such as 'age demographics', 'internet engagement', 'screen time continues to decline', and 'log the lowest overall usage'. Word choice is precise, and there are no noticeable spelling or word-choice errors. The language flows naturally and contributes to a sophisticated, professional tone throughout the entire task response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response features a wide range of complex grammatical structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are completely error-free, demonstrating excellent control over subordination, participial phrases, and comparative structures (e.g., 'closely followed by females at 18 hours' and 'where males spend 7 hours and females spend 5 hours'). Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and any minor slips are so rare that they do not impede communication or detract from the high quality of the writing.

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

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