Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-22

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 6.5)

The bar graph illustrates how students in the UK, Japan and Germany spend their time during the weekdays. Students in these countries spent time sleeping, studying and relaxing, however some did more than others.

In the UK, the time allocated to the three activities look balanced. 8.5 hours sleeping, 8 hours studying and 7 hours relaxing.

On the other hand, students in Japan saw most of their weekdays going into studying, 13 hours to be precise while 7 hours went into sleeping and a mere 4 to relax.

In Germany, students opted to be slightly balanced, 8 hours sleeping, 9 hours studying and 7 hours relaxing.

Across the three countries, the UK and Germany spent the same amount of time on relaxing and almost the same time sleeping, 8.5 hours and 8 hours respectively. Japanese students saw similar amount of sleep at 7 hours.

Nevertheless, student in Japan spent the most time studying and the least time off studies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You report the figures for all three countries and identify the main contrast: Japanese students study the most and relax the least. The specific values are generally accurate, and the comparison between UK and German relaxation is relevant. This covers the task, but the opening does not provide a clear overview of the chart’s most important patterns; the broad claim that some students “did more than others” is vague. The final sentence repeats the Japan comparison rather than drawing together the overall picture. Also, “the UK and Germany spent” is imprecise because the chart concerns students’ time. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview early on, highlighting Japan’s unusually high study time and the closer balance in the UK and Germany, then support it with selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response follows a clear progression, moving from an introduction to country-by-country details and then a cross-country comparison. Paragraphing helps separate the opening from the data, and transitions such as “On the other hand,” “Across the three countries,” and “Nevertheless” make the relationships between points easy to follow. This is a sound, logical structure. Some links are less effective, however: “On the other hand” suggests a contrast with the UK that is not clearly established, while “Nevertheless” introduces a point that largely repeats the preceding comparison. The country-by-country sentences also read somewhat like a list. A more purposeful overview followed by grouped comparisons—for example, comparing study hours across all three countries—would make the progression more flexible and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “allocated,” “balanced,” “a mere,” and “the most time,” and the meaning remains clear. There is some variety in how the figures are described, rather than relying only on “spent.” However, several choices are imprecise or awkward for a chart summary. “Students … saw most of their weekdays going into studying” is an unnatural way to describe the data, and “time off studies” is less precise than a direct reference to relaxing. “Did more than others” is also vague because it does not specify the activity. Aim for concise, conventional reporting language such as “devoted,” “accounted for,” and “recorded,” while ensuring that each comparison names the activity being compared.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple statements and longer structures, and most of the figures are presented in understandable sentences. The sentence beginning “Across the three countries” also attempts to combine related comparisons. Some grammatical errors remain, though they rarely obscure the meaning. In “the time allocated to the three activities look balanced,” the subject is singular, so the verb should be “looks”; the following figures are sentence fragments rather than a complete clause. “Japanese students saw similar amount of sleep” needs an article (“a similar amount”), and “student in Japan” needs a plural or article. The final sentence also shifts awkwardly from plural “students” to singular “student.” Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete sentence structure, especially when presenting figures.

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