Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-29

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 presented bar graph compares the average day of the week of students in three countries- UK, Japan and Germany classified as per the working hours.

Overall, the maximum time of the students in Japan and Germany was utilized in studying while students in UK spent their maximum hours of the day while sleeping.

Turning to details, in UK, youngsters spent almost 8.5 hours while sleeping, 8 hours in studying and 7 hours relaxing. It is worth noting that almost similar number of hours are utilized while sleeping and in studying. In Japan, in a typical weekday, almost hours were spent while studying, which is highest among all activities among all three reported countries.

Subsequently, 7 and 4 hours were spent on sleeping and relaxing by the Japanese students, respectively. Students in Germany utilized 8 hours a day while sleeping and 9 hours in studying. It is worth noting that German students spent equal time in relaxing as the students in UK, which was 7 hours.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview of the main trends, identifying the primary activities in each country. You successfully selected and reported key features, such as the contrast between study and sleep hours. However, there is a significant omission in the second paragraph: you mention 'almost hours were spent' for Japan, failing to provide the actual data point from the chart. This lack of precision hinders the clarity of the report. To improve, ensure that every claim made is supported by the specific figures provided in the prompt. While the comparison is generally effective, the missing data point prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information by country. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Turning to details', 'It is worth noting', and 'Subsequently' helps guide the reader through the information. However, the progression is slightly disrupted by the incomplete sentence regarding Japanese study hours. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the data. To reach a higher band, ensure that transitions between sentences are smoother and that all references to data are complete, which will improve the overall flow and logical progression of your report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'utilized', 'classified', and 'reported'. There is some repetition of basic verbs like 'spent' and 'utilized'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the variety and precision required for higher bands. For instance, instead of repeating 'spent', you could use 'allocated', 'devoted', or 'dedicated'. There are no significant spelling errors, and the word choice is generally appropriate for an academic report, though it remains somewhat functional rather than sophisticated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'average day of the week of students' (should be 'average weekday for students') and the incomplete sentence 'almost hours were spent'. Additionally, the phrasing 'maximum time of the students... was utilized' is slightly awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that all sentences are complete and grammatically sound before finalizing your draft.

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

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