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 bar chart compares the weekday activities for students in three different countries, namely the UK, Japan, Germany.

Overall, studying was the most popular activities for students among the three countries while relaxing was the least popular choice over the period.

Looking first at the UK, the student spend their weekday in sleeping at 8.5 hours, compared with Japan it was 7 hours. In Germany the student used 8 hours, which was more than Japanese students. The UK students spend in Studying less time at 8 hours, whereas Japanese student use the highest time in studying at 12 hours. Germany's student ranked second in studying which was 9 hours.

In contrast, relaxing is the least popular in three countries. The Uk spend only 7 hours while Japanese student use for weekday only 4 hours, which was the low

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s three activities and make relevant comparisons, including sleeping in the UK (8.5 hours) versus Japan (7) and Germany (8), and studying in Japan (13) versus the UK (8) and Germany (9). However, the overview is too broad: studying is not the most popular activity in all three countries, since UK students spend slightly longer sleeping than studying. The response also omits Germany’s relaxing figure and ends before completing the comparison (“which was the low…”). The Japanese studying figure is reported as 12 rather than 13. The response is 12 words below the required minimum, and the limited, incomplete coverage leaves important information under-developed. Give a more accurate overview and finish reporting the key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs comparing sleeping, studying and relaxing. Sequencing phrases such as “Looking first at the UK” and “In contrast” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, the progression is not fully controlled: the first detail paragraph moves between countries and activities, while the final paragraph stops mid-sentence, leaving the comparison unfinished. Some linking is also mechanical, and the overview does not clearly prepare the reader for the country-by-country details. Grouping the figures by activity or by country consistently, then completing each comparison, would make the organisation clearer and the connections between ideas more reliable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the main categories, including “weekday activities,” “sleeping,” “studying,” “relaxing,” and “compared with.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated uses of “spend” and “use” to describe time. Expressions such as “the most popular activities” and “the least popular choice” are not ideal for a chart measuring hours; “spent the most time studying” would be more precise. Capitalisation is inconsistent in “UK” and “Studying,” and “the low” is an incomplete phrase. Aim for accurate collocations and varied reporting verbs, while keeping the language formal and specific to time spent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and comparisons, for example, “In Germany the student used 8 hours, which was more than Japanese students.” However, errors in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward. Examples include “the student spend their weekday,” “Japanese student use,” and “Germany's student ranked second”; these need consistent subject–verb agreement and appropriate past or present forms. The comparison “compared with Japan it was 7 hours” also lacks a clear grammatical link between the country and the figure. The final sentence is incomplete, which further affects accuracy. Practise building complete comparison clauses and checking each sentence for a clear subject, verb and finished idea.

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

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