Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-25

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 5.0)

The table illustrates the average hours that people in Europe of different age groups spend on the internet.

Overall, it is clear that age 16-20 of both genders had the highest figure of people who spent the most time on the internet, while 51+ were the lowest number of internet users. In addition, 26-30 years had equal numbers of users who uses the internet.

In age 21-25, male spent 19 hours, while female had 18 hours, making them the most people who used the internet. 11-15 years were the second highest users with male accounting for 8 hours and females 6 hours. Both genders in 26-30 years spent 4 hours, making them both equal

In contrast, the elders used the internet the least with men recording 2 hours, meanwhile women used 3 hours. While age 31-50 were the second lowest population who used the internet with male using 3 hours and female 4 hours.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the broad pattern that the 16–20 group has the highest figures and that internet use is lowest among people aged 51+, but several key details are misreported. Most importantly, the paragraph says that males aged 21–25 spent 19 hours and females 18, whereas those figures belong to ages 16–20; the 21–25 figures are 7 and 5. The overview also calls the 51+ group the “lowest number of internet users,” although the table reports hours, not user numbers. Some accurate comparisons are included, such as the equal figures for ages 26–30 and the 31–50 figures. To improve, report the table’s units consistently and check each age band against its values before describing the main features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing age groups. This helps the reader follow the general direction of the report. However, the progression is weakened by placing the 21–25 group before the 11–15 group while assigning the highest figures to the wrong age band, and the final paragraph returns to older groups without a clear comparison across all categories. Linking phrases such as “Overall” and “In contrast” are useful, but some connections are awkward or incomplete, including the final sentence beginning “While.” Group the figures in a consistent order—such as highest to lowest—and use complete, clearly connected sentences to make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the general subject and includes relevant terms such as “average hours,” “age groups,” “highest,” and “lowest.” There is some repetition of “used the internet” and “users,” and these terms sometimes blur the distinction between time spent online and the number of people online. Phrases such as “highest figure of people” and “lowest number of internet users” are imprecise for a table reporting hours. Some wording is also awkward, for example “elders” and “the second highest users.” Aim for more precise data-reporting language and vary expressions for describing figures, while ensuring that alternatives still refer to hours rather than people.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mixture of simple sentences and some more complex forms, including “while” and “making them…,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and agreement recur. For example, “age 16-20 … had” is an awkward singular construction for an age group, and “Both genders … spent 4 hours, making them both equal” does not form a clear comparison. The final sentence beginning “While age 31-50…” is a dependent clause without a complete main clause. There are also inconsistent verb forms in “users who uses.” Practise writing complete comparison sentences with consistent subjects and verbs, and check that clauses introduced by “while” are joined to a main clause.

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