Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-03

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 depicts the information about the average hours of access to the internet by people of different age groups in Europe.

At a first glance, males and females of 16 to 20 years witnessed substantial growth in terms of using internet, spent 19 and 18 hours respectively. However, on the other side, male spent 2 hours and female spent 3 hours which is very less as compared to the other aspects.

Observing further, male accounted for a higher proportion than female in 11-15 age group at 8 hours and 6 hours spent on internet. The same sequence has been noticed in 21 to 25 age group.Whereas, females spent on surfing net more average hours in contrast to males at 4 hours and 3 hours. However, age group of 26-30 years remained same at 4 hours for females and males.

All in above, people having the age from 11 to 25 spent more average hours as compared to the age from 26 to 51.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to cover all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the table, such as highlighting the peak usage in the 16 to 20 age group (19 hours for males and 18 hours for females) and noting lower figures for older groups. However, the development is somewhat limited and contains minor inaccuracies or misinterpretations of the data. For instance, the statement that females in the 26 to 51 age bracket spent more hours surfing the net compared to males does not accurately reflect the figures for the 26 to 30 group where both were equal at 4 hours, and the 31 to 50 group where males spent 3 and females spent 4. The overview provided in the final paragraph attempts to generalise trends but lacks precision. To reach a higher band, the response needs to ensure all data points are reported with greater accuracy and that comparisons are more thoroughly developed and supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a basic overall structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding sentence, giving it a coherent overall arrangement. Information is generally organised by age categories, but the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. Cohesive devices are used, but they are occasionally mechanical or misused, such as the transition 'However, on the other side' or the introductory concluding phrase 'All in above'. Paragraphing is attempted, but paragraph boundaries and internal logical flow could be handled more effectively. Pronoun referencing is generally clear, but mechanical repetition of sentence starters limits the flow. To achieve a higher level, the writer needs to employ a wider range of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure smoother logical transitions between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'substantial growth', 'proportion', and 'contrast'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the response. For example, writing 'spent 19 and 18 hours respectively' without a clear subject link feels awkward, and phrases like 'very less' and 'surfing net more average hours' show weak control of collocation. Additionally, expression errors such as 'remained same' and 'All in above' detract from the precision of the response. To progress, the student should expand their range of functional academic vocabulary and focus on natural word combinations and precise lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'people having the age from 11 to 25'. However, attempts at complex structures are frequently marred by grammatical errors. There are issues with missing auxiliary verbs ('spent 19 and 18 hours' instead of 'who spent'), article usage ('the internet' vs 'internet'), prepositions ('in terms of using internet'), and subject-verb agreement or tense consistency ('male spent', 'females spent on surfing net more average hours'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to restrict the score. To improve, the writer must focus on sentence construction accuracy, ensuring correct verb forms, prepositions, and article use in complex grammatical patterns.

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

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