Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-21

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 provided table compares the average hours spent on the Internet by European people of different age groups.

Overall, it is clear that age groups from 16-20 years shows a significant upward trend, followed by age groups of 11-15 years. Additionally, age groups of 51+ remained relatively lower.

Looking at the details, age groups 10-20 years emerged a significant upward trend, the figures were stood at 19 hours for male and 18 for female, this trend was mirrored by 11-15 age groups, the figures were 8 hours for male and 6 hours for female. Additionally, age groups 51+ spend relatievly lower time, the figures were 2 hours for male and 3 hours for female.

Looking towards the details, the remaing categories were less important, age groups 21-25 years were stood at 7 hours for male and 5 hours for female, followed by age grups 26-30 years 4 hours for both males and females. Meanwhile, the figure for age grups 31-50 years stood at 3 for males and 4 for females.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the table’s subject and include a relevant overview: the 16–20 group has the highest figures, while people aged 51+ have the lowest. Most reported values are accurate, including the figures for ages 21–50. However, the overview is incomplete and sometimes unclear: the table shows hours by age and sex, not a trend over time, so “significant upward trend” is not an appropriate description. The phrase “age groups 10–20” also misstates the 16–20 category, and the 11–15 group is not the second-highest overall because the 21–25 figures are also important. Compare the male and female figures more directly and describe the overall pattern across age groups.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and it generally moves from the highest and lowest figures to the remaining categories. This gives the reader some organisation. However, progression is weakened by repeated framing: “Looking at the details” and “Looking towards the details” introduce similar material, while “the remaining categories were less important” dismisses relevant data rather than linking it clearly. Some connections are also confusing, particularly “this trend was mirrored by 11-15 age groups,” since the figures are comparisons rather than trends. Use one clear overview, then group the age bands logically, with concise comparisons and accurate linking phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “average hours,” “figures,” “categories” and “remained relatively lower,” so the topic is understandable. There is some attempt to vary wording, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural and are repeated, including “significant upward trend” for a table of age-group comparisons and “were stood at.” “The remaining categories were less important” is also an imprecise way to introduce data. Spelling errors such as “relatievly,” “remaing” and “grups” are noticeable and reduce control. Aim for precise reporting language and check spelling carefully; terms such as “recorded,” “stood at” (without “were”), “declined with age” and “the lowest figures” would fit this task better.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can usually understand the comparisons. However, errors are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to follow. For example, “age groups from 16-20 years shows” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “the figures were stood at” uses an incorrect verb construction. The sentence beginning “age groups 10-20 years emerged a significant upward trend” is also structurally faulty, and “age groups 51+ spend” shifts tense in a description of table data. Use a consistent present tense and build sentences around clear subjects, such as “The figures for males and females in the 16–20 group were 19 and 18 hours, respectively.”

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