Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-13

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)

This bar chart illustrates different activities done by students on weekdays in three different countries. The pupils spend almost similar time in studying in all countries whereas the time spent on studying and relaxing varies a lot.

In UK and Germany the time spent in sleeping is 8.5 hours and 8 hours respectively , in relaxing it is 7 hours in both countries and students in Germany study one hour extra than UK students which is 8 hours.

Students in Japan spend more half of days time in studying which is 13 hours and remaining day is divided into sleeping for 7hours and relaxing for 4 hours.

Overall, students in Germany and UK are better in planning their weekdays than of Japan as there is a lack of study life balance. In Japan students are least involved in extracurricular activities and highly inclined towards academics which creates a disturbance in regular equilibrium.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the bar chart, including comparisons between the UK, Germany, and Japan. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. The final paragraph includes subjective commentary ('better in planning', 'creates a disturbance in regular equilibrium') which is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report, as the task requires an objective summary of data rather than personal opinion or value judgments. While the key data points are identified, the lack of a clear, objective overview and the inclusion of irrelevant personal interpretation limit the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. The use of 'Overall' at the start of the final paragraph is standard, but the internal logic of the sentences is weakened by the inclusion of subjective opinions rather than a summary of the data trends. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between ideas could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. Phrases like 'almost similar time' and 'better in planning' are somewhat simplistic. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'more half of days time' and 'regular equilibrium', which do not accurately describe the data. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'the majority of the day' or 'a significant proportion of time'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'In UK and Germany' (missing articles), 'more half of days time' (incorrect phrasing), and 'than of Japan' (unnecessary preposition). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on article usage and prepositional accuracy would improve the clarity of your writing.

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

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