Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-23

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 given bar chart illustrates the typical weekday for students in three different countries.

In Japan, students study alot and give less time for sleep and relaxation. German students are on second postion in terms of studying more hours and the UK students are on the last postion among the other two countries.

The Japanese students study 13 hours a day which is the highest among the other two countries. They spent their leisure time while studying. They only sleep for 7 hours and relaxes thie bodies for only 4 hours out of 24 hours.

German students on the other hand study for 9 hours and sleep for 8 hours and give 7 hours for relaxation. In contrast with the United Kingdom, the students of the UK give more time to sleep which is of 8.5 hours and 8 hours to study and 7 hours for relaxation per day which is the highest among the given countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main contrast: Japanese students spend the most time studying, while their sleep and relaxation figures are lower. You also report the figures for all three countries, and most are accurate. However, the overview is incomplete and includes a misinterpretation: “the UK…give more time to sleep” is not true, as the UK figure of 8.5 hours is higher than Germany’s 8 but lower than Japan’s 7? (Japan is 7, so the UK is actually highest). More importantly, “They spent their leisure time while studying” is unclear and unsupported. The response is also 2 words below the 150-word minimum. Add a clear overview of the main patterns and explain the comparisons accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to a general comparison and then country-specific details. Linking phrases such as “on the other hand” and “In contrast” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph makes broad claims, while the later paragraphs repeat some of these points rather than developing a concise overview. The contrast introduced with “In contrast with the United Kingdom” is also confusing because the UK figures are then listed without a clear comparison. Organise the response around an overview followed by grouped comparisons, and use references such as “this figure” only when their meaning is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing the chart, including “illustrates,” “in terms of,” “highest,” and “relaxation.” This gives you enough range to communicate the main information, but several choices are inaccurate or repetitive, limiting precision. “Give less time for sleep” and “give 7 hours for relaxation” are awkward collocations; “spend less time sleeping” and “devote 7 hours to relaxation” would be more natural. There are also spelling errors in “alot,” “postion,” and “thie,” and “leisure time while studying” does not express a clear meaning. Aim for accurate chart language and check spelling before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, and the main figures are generally understandable. However, control is uneven, particularly in verb forms and agreement. For example, “They only sleep for 7 hours and relaxes” shifts from the plural subject “They” to the singular verb “relaxes”; use “relax.” “They spent their leisure time” also shifts into the past tense, although the chart describes a typical weekday, so “spend” is appropriate. The sentence beginning “In contrast with the United Kingdom” is awkwardly constructed and makes the comparison difficult to follow. Practise keeping subjects and verbs consistent and use present simple forms for general chart descriptions.

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

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