Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The bar chart shows the typical weekday for students in three different countries.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

the bar chart illustrates how students spend their weekends in three different countries (UK, Japan, Germany) in three different ways (sleeping, studying, relaxing) on scale of 0 to 14 hours.

Because they are students they spend most of their time in studying on average next is sleeping and at the 3rd position is relaxing by doing various activities. The significant amount of time spent in Japan by students were studying for 13 hours total. And the least amount of time spend were also in Japan only 4 hours of relaxing.

In UK the students spent their time sleeping 8.5 hours wheras Japanese student spent 7 hours and Germany students spent 8 hours. While in studying UK students spent 8 hours overall and Japanese and German students spent 13 and 9 hours.

Further in UK for relaxing students used 7 hours and Japanese students used only 4 hours which I have told before and German students used 7 hours.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, but the presentation is somewhat disjointed. While you identify the key data points, the overview is weak and lacks a clear summary of the most significant trends. The task requires a more analytical approach to comparing the three countries rather than simply listing data points. For instance, you mention that Japanese students study for 13 hours, but you do not effectively contrast this with the other countries in a way that highlights the overall pattern. To improve, ensure you group information logically to show clear comparisons between the countries rather than listing them individually.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and a lack of sophisticated cohesive devices. Phrases like 'Further in UK' and 'which I have told before' are mechanical and detract from the flow of the text. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between sentences feels abrupt. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'in contrast', 'conversely', 'similarly') and ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus rather than just jumping between countries and activities.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You frequently use the word 'spent' and 'students' throughout the text, which limits the range of your expression. There are also some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'on scale of 0 to 14 hours' instead of 'on a scale of 0 to 14 hours'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise verbs and nouns related to data description, such as 'allocated', 'devoted', 'figures', and 'proportions', to demonstrate a more flexible command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'the least amount of time spend were also in Japan' contains subject-verb agreement errors ('spend' should be 'spent', 'were' should be 'was'). Additionally, there are issues with articles ('In UK' should be 'In the UK') and awkward phrasing such as 'Because they are students they spend most of their time in studying'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall clarity and professional tone of the report.

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

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