Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-26

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 information about how students pass the typical weekday in three different countries - UK, Japan, and Germany.

Overall, it can be seen that students of Japan and Germany spends most time on studying, whereas the UK students spend on sleeping. Students of these three countries spent less time on relaxing compared with sleeping and studying.

On sleeping, the Uk students spend highest time which is 8.5 hours whereas 7 and 8 hours spend by studends of Japan and Germany respectively.

Japan is the highest whose students spend most of their time on studying which is 13 hours. Uk and Germany pupils spend 8 and 9 hours respectively.

Relaxing is the category where students are seen spend their lowest time. In the Uk and the Germany, students spe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s three countries and categories, and several figures are accurate: for example, you report 8.5 hours of sleep in the UK and 13 hours of study in Japan. However, the response only partially covers the task. The overview incorrectly says Germany spends the most time studying; its highest figure is 9 hours of study, while sleeping is 8 hours, and the UK’s highest category is sleeping. The final discussion of relaxing is cut off, so the UK and Germany figures are not reported and Japan’s 4 hours is omitted. The response also falls 19 words short of the required minimum. To improve, complete the comparison of all three countries and give a clear, accurate overview of the main contrasts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for sleeping, studying, and relaxing. This helps the reader follow the categories, and phrases such as “On sleeping” signal a shift in focus. However, progression is limited because the body paragraphs mostly list figures rather than develop comparisons, and the final paragraph ends mid-sentence (“students spe”), leaving the account incomplete. Some linking is also awkward or repetitive, such as repeatedly beginning with the category name. Organise the details into complete paragraphs, compare countries within each category, and use a small range of clear linking expressions to show similarities and contrasts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the chart’s subject, including “illustrates,” “studying,” “sleeping,” and “relaxing.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, which makes parts of the report less clear. For example, “pass the typical weekday” is not a natural way to describe how time is allocated, and “spend highest time” would be better expressed as “spend the most time.” “Pupils” is understandable, but “students” is more consistent with the task. There are also spelling and capitalisation slips, including “studends” and “Uk.” Aim for precise chart-reporting phrases such as “account for,” “record,” and “the figure for,” and check spelling and country names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few complex structures, including the overview clause beginning “Overall, it can be seen that,” and you use comparative information in several sentences. However, the range remains limited, and frequent errors in sentence construction and agreement sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For instance, “students of Japan and Germany spends” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “whereas 7 and 8 hours spend by students” lacks a correctly formed verb structure. “Japan is the highest whose students…” is also an awkward, faulty clause. The final sentence is incomplete, further affecting accuracy. Practise complete comparison patterns, such as “Japanese students spend 7 hours sleeping, compared with 8 hours in Germany,” and check agreement, articles, and sentence completeness.

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

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