Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-11

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 compares the data on typical weekday activities namely- sleeping, studying and relaxing done by students in three different countries.

Overall, studying is highly focused by students of japan whereas they are least interested in relaxing. Although all three activities are marginally equal to eachother in UK and Germany.

Around 13 hours are spent by japanese students for studing whereas only 4 hours are accounted for relaxing. Meanwhile they take an average sleep of 7 hours. Moreover, in UK, students spend 7 hours for relaxing , 8 hours for studing and 8.5 hours for sleeping.

Whereas in Germany, students use most of their time for studying (9 hours), meanwhile for sleeping and relaxing almost 8 and 7 hours are consumed respectively.

By the graph, in all three countries expect UK students tend to spend their time mostly in studying in their daily routine whereas students in UK love to sleep more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the bar chart, including the three countries and the three activities. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the figures for Japan, the UK, and Germany, the comparisons are not fully developed. For instance, the statement that activities are 'marginally equal' in the UK and Germany is inaccurate, as there are clear differences in the hours spent. Additionally, the summary in the final paragraph contains a factual error regarding the UK students' primary activity compared to the data provided. To improve, ensure that your comparisons are precise and directly supported by the data points in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', and 'Whereas' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel forced. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the summary statement is confusingly phrased. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, logical progression that builds upon the previous one.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'compares', 'accounted for', and 'consumed'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'studing' (studying) and 'expect' (except), which detract from the quality of the writing. The word choice is generally functional but lacks the precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on accurate spelling and expanding your repertoire of academic collocations to describe trends and data points more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'studying is highly focused by students' (passive voice misuse), 'marginally equal to eachother' (incorrect collocation), and 'in all three countries expect UK students' (incorrect preposition/conjunction usage). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and hyphens. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions to improve your accuracy.

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

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