Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-31

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 graph compares how much time students spend in various activities in a week in UK, Japan and Germany.

Overall, students spent much of their time studying in all countries except UK whereby, sleeping time was almost equal with study time. Conversely, relaxation time was the least in the three countries.

Coming to details, students spent an equal time sleeping in UK and Germany at around 8 hours. This time was slightly lower in Japan by 1 hour making sleeping time 7 hours. Moreover, sleeping time fluctuated in the 3 countries with Japan students spending the highest time at 13 hours while UK and Germany spending only 7 and 8 hours.

Coming to the relaxation time, UK and German students spent the same amount of time at 7 hours each. Japan students spent the least time relaxing at just 4 hours compared to the other activities in all countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the data but fails to accurately report the information provided in the chart. There are significant factual inconsistencies; for example, you state that sleeping time was 13 hours for Japan, which contradicts the visual data, and your description of study time is confusing and lacks clarity. While you identify the main features, the lack of precision in reporting the figures means the task is only partially addressed. To improve, ensure that you carefully cross-reference your text with the data points in the chart to avoid misinterpretation and ensure all comparisons are factually accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'Coming to'. The progression of ideas is occasionally hindered by the factual inaccuracies mentioned in the task achievement section, which makes the logical flow feel disjointed. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the transition between sentences supports a clear, logical comparison of the data rather than just listing observations.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple descriptors like 'highest' and 'least' and repeat phrases such as 'amount of time'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or precise collocations that would demonstrate a higher level of language control. To improve, try to incorporate more varied vocabulary related to data description, such as 'proportion', 'allocated to', 'surpassed', or 'minimal', to add sophistication and precision to your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'except UK whereby, sleeping time was...' and 'Japan students', which should be 'Japanese students' or 'students in Japan'. There are also issues with article usage (e.g., 'in UK'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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