Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-08

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 is illustrating the weekdays routine of students from three countries, UK, Japan and Germany. The bar chart has three types of students, one are those, who are relaxing, others are sleeping and rest are studying.

Overall, in all three countries students are more focused on study. Japanese students study most, then the German students secure second rank and the British students are at last.

In the UK, higher percentage of students love to sleep with 8.5 percentage. The German students are again on second position with 8 percentage. The Japanese students are sleeping less with percentage of 7.

In relaxing, the German and the British students are on same level with 7 percentage . The Japanese students are more attached with study and less percentage of students get relaxed on weekdays.

To make the conclusion, the Japanese students are more focused on study among the German and UK students. However, in all three countries the study group is on the top.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main categories and make relevant comparisons, including Japan’s highest study figure (13 hours), the UK’s longest sleep time (8.5), and the equal relaxing figures for the UK and Germany (7). The overview also correctly notes that Japanese students study the most. However, the claim that students in all three countries are “more focused on study” is inaccurate: in the UK, sleeping (8.5) exceeds studying (8), and in Germany, studying (9) is only slightly above sleeping (8). The response also describes the figures as percentages, although the chart presents hours, and it omits the study figures for the UK and Germany in the detailed comparisons. A more precise overview and fuller reporting of the key data would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs comparing sleeping and relaxing, followed by a conclusion. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, the progression is not fully controlled. The conclusion repeats the overview rather than adding a useful comparison, while the study figures are mentioned generally but not organised alongside the other country-specific data. Some linking is also mechanical, as in “To make the conclusion,” and “again on second position.” Grouping the figures by activity or comparing all three countries within each category would create clearer progression. Use concise transitions such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile” only where they clarify a genuine comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the chart’s broad subject, including “sleeping,” “studying,” and “relaxing,” and you attempt comparative expressions such as “higher” and “less.” However, the range is limited and several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing data. “Students are more focused on study” interprets the figures rather than neutrally reporting them, while “secure second rank,” “on second position,” and “more attached with study” are awkward collocations. Repeated use of “students” and “percentage” also reduces precision; the chart reports hours, not percentages. Aim for standard chart language such as “recorded,” “spent,” “the highest figure,” and “compared with,” and vary the wording without adding unsupported interpretations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the main comparisons are generally understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven, with errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “The bar chart has three types of students, one are those” has faulty agreement and an unclear structure; “The German students are again on second position” is missing the article required in this phrase; and “The Japanese students are sleeping less with percentage of 7” has an incomplete grammatical pattern. There are also unnecessary spaces before punctuation and inconsistent comma use. Practise building accurate comparison sentences, for example: “Japanese students sleep for 7 hours, compared with 8.5 hours in the UK.” More consistently accurate sentence patterns would improve clarity.

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

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