Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-09

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 4.0)

The provided chart displays the typical weekday for learners in three distinct nations, Germany, UK and Japan.

Overall, it is immediately apparent that in Japan there was a huge difference between the time in which students spend compared to other countries.

In Uk, students spent their time mostly for sleeping which was 8.5, while

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and attempts an overview by noting a difference involving Japan, then gives one figure for UK sleeping. However, it does not summarise the main features sufficiently: the key contrast is that Japanese students study much longer (13 hours) and relax less (4 hours), while the other countries’ figures are more balanced. The statement that UK students spent most time sleeping is also inaccurate, since studying is 8 hours compared with 8.5 for sleeping only marginally, and the response stops before completing the comparison. The required minimum of 150 words is not met, leaving most of the data unreported. Include a complete overview and compare all three activities across the countries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic sequence: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview and then an attempt to describe a country. The linking phrase “Overall” helps signal the overview, and the country-based focus gives the reader a starting point. However, the response ends abruptly at “while,” so the final sentence and the comparison it promises are missing. There is also no developed paragraph structure or progression through the chart’s three activities and countries. To improve, organise the report into an introduction, a concise overview, and one or two body paragraphs that group related comparisons; use clear links such as “whereas” and “by contrast” to show relationships between figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The writer uses some appropriate task vocabulary, including “chart,” “typical weekday,” “students,” and “sleeping,” and “distinct nations” shows an attempt to vary basic wording. However, the range is narrow because the response reports very little of the chart, and some phrasing is unnatural or imprecise. “Spent their time mostly for sleeping” is an awkward collocation; “spent the most time sleeping” would be more natural. “The time in which students spend” is also unclear, and “huge difference” is too general without specifying the activity or figures. Use precise terms such as “hours,” “study,” and “relax,” and describe the size and direction of comparisons rather than relying on broad wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a few controlled sentence forms, such as the opening sentence and the overview beginning “Overall, it is immediately apparent…”. However, the grammatical range is limited, and the final sentence is incomplete: “while” introduces a contrast that is never finished. In “the time in which students spend,” the clause structure is faulty, while “students spent” shifts to past tense even though the chart describes a typical weekday and should generally be reported in the present. The sentence beginning “Overall” also has an unclear construction around “the time in which.” Aim for complete sentences, use a consistent present tense (“students spend”), and practise clear comparative structures such as “Japanese students study longer than…”.

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

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