Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-21

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 the data of students who spent their time in sleeping, studying and relaxing during weekdays in three different countries-UK, Japan and Germany.

To begin with, in UK, the highest figure was recorded in sleeping, at 8.5 hours, followed by students spent 8 hours studying. The least time devoted 7 hours relaxing.

Furthermore, Japan students spent their most time while studying, at 13 hours. In comparison with UK, the figure for relaxing was lower at 4 hours. Additionally, students took 7 hours sleep to feel fresh.

However, German students followed balancing time in terms of sleeping, studying and relaxing, which was 8, 9 and 7 hours, respectively, on their weekday.

Overall, it can be seen that the gretest figure for studying was recorded in Japan, compared with other countries, whereas UK students spent their most time while sleeping. German pupils devoted considerably well-structured time management schedule for their weekday.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the bar chart, including data for all three countries and categories. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you identify the highest and lowest figures, the comparisons are occasionally awkward, such as stating 'German students followed balancing time', which is not a clear description of the data. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview highlights the most significant trends or contrasts more effectively, rather than just listing data points. The summary provided in the final paragraph is a good attempt, but it could be more analytical by focusing on the stark differences between the countries, such as the contrast between Japan's study time and the UK's sleep time.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'However' to transition between ideas. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For example, the sentence 'The least time devoted 7 hours relaxing' is grammatically unclear and disrupts the logical progression. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally weak; for instance, 'the figure for relaxing was lower at 4 hours' lacks a clear comparison to the UK's specific figure in the previous sentence. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that comparisons are explicitly connected would enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey the basic information. You use some topic-specific terms like 'illustrates', 'recorded', and 'respectively'. However, there are instances of unnatural word choice and collocation errors, such as 'Japan students spent their most time while studying' (should be 'spent the most time studying') and 'devoted considerably well-structured time management schedule'. These errors occasionally make the text sound slightly unnatural. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the fluency of the writing. Examples include 'students who spent their time in sleeping' (should be 'spent their time sleeping'), 'Japan students' (should be 'Japanese students'), and 'students took 7 hours sleep' (should be '7 hours of sleep'). There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not prevent communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Increasing your control over basic sentence construction and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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