Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-11

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 presents the average number of hours per day that students in three different countries (UK, Japan, and Germany) spend on three routines weekday activities.

Overall, sleeping accounts for the highest proportion of student's time in the UK and Germany, whereas studying is the most time-consuming activity for Japanese students. Additionally, students in the UK and Germany report very similar daily routines, while Japanese students demonstrate a significantly different allocation of time.

Looking at the details, students in the UK, Japan, and Germany sleep for 8.5, 7, and 8 hours a day, respectively. conversely, studying takes up only 8,9 hours daily for students in both UK and Germany, but reaches a peak of 13 hours per day for students in Japan.

However, regarding relaxation British and German students spend same hours respectively.

on the other hand, the figure for Japanese learners inclined considerably to just 4 hours daily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response identifies the chart’s main contrast: sleeping is the largest activity in the UK and Germany, while studying dominates in Japan. It also reports the sleep figures accurately and gives the study figures as 8 and 9 hours for the UK and Germany and 13 for Japan. These relevant features support a clear overview. However, the relaxation comparison is left incomplete in “spend same hours respectively”; the chart shows 7 hours in both the UK and Germany, compared with 4 in Japan. State these values explicitly and make the comparison clear. The overview could also be more precise by describing the scale of Japan’s longer study time and shorter relaxation time. Overall, the task is addressed, but some details are less fully reported than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about sleeping, studying and relaxation. This helps the reader follow the main comparisons. However, progression becomes less clear in the final paragraph: “However” and then “on the other hand” introduce a contrast without a fully formed comparison, and the relaxation figures are split across two short fragments. The transition “conversely” before the study figures is also not especially logical, since the sentence mainly adds another activity rather than setting up a clear opposite. Grouping the UK and Germany figures together, then contrasting Japan, would create a more consistent sequence. Paragraphing and linking are present, but some connections feel mechanical or unclear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounts for,” “time-consuming,” “allocation of time,” and “reaches a peak.” These expressions help describe the chart rather than merely listing figures. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “three routines weekday activities,” “report very similar daily routines,” and “the figure for Japanese learners inclined considerably.” “Proportion” is also less precise when the chart reports hours, not shares of a whole. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for straightforward, accurate chart language, such as “spend,” “the same number of hours,” and “fell to.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence structure, including a complex overview sentence with “whereas” and a contrast introduced by “but.” Most of the figures and their relationships remain understandable. However, several grammatical errors reduce accuracy: “student’s time” should be plural possessive, “in both UK and Germany” needs articles, and “students … spend same hours” is missing “the.” The sentence beginning “However, regarding relaxation” is incomplete, while “on the other hand, the figure … inclined” lacks a clear grammatical construction. Capitalisation after full stops is also inconsistent. Check sentence completeness, articles and agreement, and revise fragments into full sentences while retaining the useful range of structures.

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