Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-13

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 illustrates the regular activities i.e. sleeping, studying, and relaxing in UK, Japan, and Germany.

Overall, it is clear that the figure of studing in Japan is highest while the figure of relaxing is lowest. The time spend in UK in sleeping is highest.

The figure of sleeping in Uk is 8.5 and 7 in Japan. The time spent in studying is 8 in Uk while Japan made up the highest figure in studying, 13. The figure of relaxing in Uk is 7 while in Japan it is 4.

The students in Germany spent most of their time in studying and that's 9. The figure of sleeping in Germany is 8 and figure of relaxing is 7.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s three activities and report several figures accurately, including Japan’s 13 hours of study and its 4 hours of relaxation. However, the response only partly covers the data: Germany’s figures are included, but the comparison of all three countries is limited, and the overview that UK sleeping is highest is inaccurate because the UK’s 8.5 hours is indeed the highest, while Germany has 8 and Japan 7. The claim that relaxing is lowest is unclear without specifying that Japan is lowest. The response also contains 119 words, below the required 150, so the report is underdeveloped. Add a fuller overview and compare the main highs and lows across all countries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs reporting figures. This helps the reader follow the basic organisation. However, progression is limited because most details are presented as separate statements rather than grouped into meaningful comparisons. For example, the UK and Japan figures are listed first, followed by Germany, without linking the countries or explaining contrasts. Repeated openings such as “The figure of…” and “The time spent…” also make the report feel mechanical. Use clearer comparison links, such as “whereas” and “by contrast,” and organise details by activity or by the most notable country differences. This would create a more connected account while retaining the clear paragraph structure already present.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a chart, including “illustrates,” “highest,” “lowest,” and “spent most of their time.” The meaning is generally understandable, but the range is limited and several choices are repetitive or imprecise. “The figure of studying” is awkward because the chart reports time, not a figure of an activity, and “regular activities” does not clearly convey the number of hours. There are also spelling and word-form errors, including “studing” and “spend” where “spent” is needed; these reduce accuracy and control. Aim for more precise expressions such as “hours devoted to studying” and vary how you introduce comparisons. Check spelling and word forms carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Most sentences are simple and communicate the intended figures, and the overview uses a clear clause structure. There is some attempt at a more complex sentence in “while Japan made up the highest figure in studying,” although the construction is not fully controlled. Errors include “The time spend in UK in sleeping is highest,” where the verb form and article use are problematic, and “The students in Germany spent most of their time in studying and that's 9,” which has an awkward grammatical pattern and an unclear reference for “that.” The response relies heavily on short, similar sentence forms, so it shows limited structural range. Practise accurate comparisons using clauses with “while” or “whereas,” and check verb forms, articles, and sentence punctuation.

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

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