Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-24

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 given bar chart illustrates the information of typical weekday for students from three different countries.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that Japanese students spend most of their time on studying where as spend least time on relaxing compared to other countries. Moreover, the amount of time spent on sleeping are almost same for all given countries.

At first, looking at the UK we can see the balance in time for all 3 activity compared to Japan. UK students spend 7 hours of a day on relaxing and 8 hours on studying. Whereas, Japanese students spend 13 hours of a weekday on studying and only 4 hours on relaxing. In terms of sleeping, both countries are on similar level in which UK students spend 8.5 hours on sleeping, similarly, in Japan they spend 7 hours of a weekday on sleeping.

Moving on Germany, students have balanced three but slightly higher priority is given to study as they spend 9 hours of a weekday on studying. Correspondingly, they are spending almost similar time in sleeping as UK which is 8 hours and they spend the exact 7 hours of weekday time on relaxing as UK.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and made relevant comparisons between the three countries. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with data from the graph. However, there are some inaccuracies in your data reporting. For instance, you stated that German students spend 8 hours sleeping, but the chart indicates a different figure. Additionally, the comparison between countries could be more analytical; rather than just listing figures, focus on highlighting the most significant trends or contrasts, such as the stark difference in study hours between Japan and the other two nations. Overall, the response covers the requirements well, but closer attention to data accuracy is needed to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for each country. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'At first', and 'Moving on', which help the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the information is grouped in a way that makes sense. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid. The overall structure is clear, but the flow could be enhanced with more sophisticated cohesive markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'balance', and 'priority'. However, there are some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'the amount of time spent on sleeping are almost same' (should be 'is almost the same') and 'both countries are on similar level'. These errors do not impede communication, but they limit the precision of your writing. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more varied vocabulary related to data description, such as 'a significant proportion', 'the vast majority', or 'a comparable amount'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a good start. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the amount of time... are') and missing articles ('looking at the UK', 'in Japan they spend'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'students have balanced three', which lacks clarity. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your score.

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

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