Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-25

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The bar chart below shows the average number of hours that women in various age groups and women with varying levels of education spend on primary activities each week.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Average hours per week women spent in selected primary activities, by age and educational attainment, 2009

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The bar chart compares the number of hours per week women spend on primary activities according to their age groups and varying levels of education. Overall, the chart clearly illustrates that women of all ages irrespective of their educational background, are spending a large amount of time on leisure and sports. There is a consistent flow of graph on household activities. However, there are fluctuations in graph on working and work related activities.

Firstly, 15- 24 age group women mostly spent their time on leisure and sports with around 35 hours per week. Followed by 25-55 year age group, where women spent time equally on both work related activities and sports with an average of 25 hours each spent of them. 55-75 and over aged women used most of their time on leisure that is over 50 hours per week. However, all the age groups spent an average of 20 hours per week doing their household chores.

Secondly, women with less than a school diploma and high school spent around 40 hours on sports and leisure and spent least on work. College students and associate degree students started to focus on work with 23 hours. Bachelor's degree and higher woment balanced work and leisure time with an average of 25 hours spent on each activity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the bar chart, including age and education categories. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the statement that women of all ages spend a 'large amount of time on leisure' is a broad generalization that lacks specific data support. Furthermore, the description of the data is occasionally inaccurate; for example, claiming that 15-24-year-olds spent 35 hours on leisure is a misinterpretation of the visual data. To reach a higher band, you should ensure that the figures cited are precise and that you clearly contrast the differences between the categories rather than just listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction followed by two body paragraphs. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'However' helps guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'consistent flow of graph', which is not standard academic English. The transition between the age-based data and the education-based data is abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'educational attainment', 'fluctuations', and 'primary activities'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'consistent flow of graph' and '55-75 and over aged women'. Additionally, there are minor spelling errors like 'woment'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure that your vocabulary is used in the correct context to describe trends and data points more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'spent time equally on both work related activities and sports with an average of 25 hours each spent of them' and 'spent least on work'. These errors, while not impeding communication, occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should work on subject-verb agreement, preposition usage, and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without awkward phrasing.

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

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