Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-12

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 students typical weekday schedule based on sleeping, studying and relaxing in three different countries: UK, Japan and Germany.

Overall, it is evident that all three countries experienced highest number for studying except UK. While relaxing recorded for least number of students and sleeping showed fluctuation in number.

The UK has recorded highest number of students for sleeping at just around 8.5, they then declined to 8 and 7, in Germany and Japan respectively. In stark contrast, Japan experienced the most dramatic rise for studying at 13, with downward drift in Germany and UK.

Moving further, third aspect contributing to typical weekday is relaxing which is significantly low in all three countries as compared to other aspects. UK and Germany showed equal 7 number of students with number 4 in Japan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The student attempts to summarise the main features of the bar chart, covering sleeping, studying, and relaxing across the UK, Japan, and Germany. However, there are significant issues with data interpretation and task completion. Firstly, the student misinterprets the chart's values, stating that the UK recorded 'around 8.5' for sleeping and treating data points as absolute numbers of students rather than hours or percentages as typically represented in such charts. Furthermore, comparisons are vague and inaccurate in places. Crucially, the length requirement is NOT met: the response contains only 134 words, falling short of the 150-word minimum. This negative impact on the word count lowers the Task Achievement score significantly. Overall, the response addresses the prompt only partially due to the severe under-length issue and flawed data reporting.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is organised into four paragraphs, following a logical layout with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing different aspects. Cohesive devices are attempted with phrases such as 'Overall', 'While', and 'In stark contrast'. However, referencing and progression are sometimes confusing, particularly in sentences like 'third aspect contributing to typical weekday is relaxing which is significantly low in all three countries as compared to other aspects.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, but mechanical use of connectors and unclear relational links prevent the text from achieving a higher band. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow, despite minor structural flaws.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using topic-specific terms like 'schedule', 'fluctuation', 'downward drift', and 'dramatic rise'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'experienced highest number for studying' and 'UK and Germany showed equal 7 number of students'. Word choices sometimes lack precision, and collocations are occasionally unnatural. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the general meaning without causing severe strain for the reader, fitting the criteria for a band 5.5 to 6.0 range, leaning toward the lower side due to repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses and comparative forms such as 'While relaxing recorded for least number of students'. Grammatical control is variable. There are several noticeable errors, including missing articles ('students typical weekday schedule', 'except UK'), awkward passive constructions ('While relaxing recorded for least number'), and tense inconsistencies or missing verbs. While these errors do not completely obscure the message, they occur frequently enough to impede smooth reading and demonstrate limited mastery over complex grammar forms. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but overall grammatical accuracy needs improvement.

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

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