Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-25

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 depicts the typical weekday for students in three different countries. Three categories have been discussed in which students spent their weekday time which include sleeping, studying, and relaxing.

Overall, the most striking feature is that students spent a massive amount of time in studying, followed by sleeping and relaxing. However, students in UK and Japan have managed their time equally in all three figures.

It is evident that, students of Japan spent 13 hours, a significant amount of time in their studies, followed by 7 and 4 hours in sleeping and relaxing respectively. On the other hand, students in UK have distributed their time equally in all three categories, spending 8.5 hours in sleeping, the highest than other, followed closely by studying with 8 hours and 7 hours in relaxing.

In Germany, students spent their large amount of time in studies like in Japan. They spent 9 hours in studying, followed closely by sleeping with 8 hours, while in relaxing they spent 7 hours of their weekday time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and provided relevant comparisons. You covered all three countries and the three categories of activities. However, the analysis could be improved by ensuring the data reported is accurate and the comparisons are more precise. For example, stating that students in the UK and Japan 'managed their time equally' is inaccurate based on the data provided, as their distributions differ significantly. To reach a higher band, ensure that your overview highlights the most significant trends, such as the contrast between the high study hours in Japan versus the more balanced distribution in the UK, rather than making broad, unsupported claims.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs for each country. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand' and 'followed by' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally mechanical. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear; for instance, the phrase 'all three figures' is used to refer to categories, which is slightly confusing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear focus will help improve the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the data, using terms like 'depicts', 'striking feature', and 'distributed'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'managed their time equally in all three figures' is not the most natural way to describe data distribution. Additionally, 'highest than other' is grammatically and lexically incorrect; it should be 'higher than the others'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'proportion', 'allocated', or 'predominant', and ensure that your comparisons are phrased more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'students spent their large amount of time' should be 'spent a large amount of time', and 'highest than other' is a comparative error. There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. To achieve a higher band, focus on increasing the frequency of error-free sentences and refining your control over complex structures, particularly when making comparisons between different data sets.

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

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