Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-04
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The pie charts below show how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
* Note: these aren’t the original diagrams given in the test, they were recreated for the purpose of demonstration.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The pie chart compare how working adults spending their time on different activities in 1958 and 2008.
Overall, it is clear that working adults spend a larger proportion of their day working in 2008, compared to 1958. While time spent on sleeping and socializing decreased significantly, the amout of the time devoted to relaxing at home and travelling to work saw an increase. Additionally, playing sports emerged as a new activity in 2008.
In 1958, working adults spent 33% of their day at working and 32% sleeping, making these two dominant activities. They allocated 19% of their time to going out with friends and family, 8%to relaxing at home whereas, just 2% to travelling to work.
By 2008, the time spent working had a risen significantly to 42%. In contrast, sleeping declinedto 25%and socializing dropped sharply to only 6% and time spent relaxing at home double to 13% and commuting time also increased to 7% of the day in 2008, a category that was not present in 1958 is playing sports accounted for 7%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all key features of the data, including the main trends and comparisons between 1958 and 2008. You successfully identified the shift in working hours and the emergence of new categories like sports. However, the overview is slightly thin; while it mentions the main trends, it could be more precise by highlighting the most significant changes (e.g., the dramatic rise in work hours). The data is generally accurate, though the phrasing 'a category that was not present in 1958 is playing sports' is slightly clunky. Overall, the response provides a clear summary of the information provided in the charts.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Additionally', and 'By 2008' to guide the reader. However, the flow within the final paragraph is slightly hindered by run-on sentences and punctuation errors, such as 'sleeping declinedto 25%and socializing dropped sharply'. Improving the use of punctuation and transition words between sentences would enhance the overall cohesion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the years, which helps the reader follow the comparison effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, using terms like 'proportion', 'allocated', 'declined', and 'accounted for'. There are some minor errors in word formation and collocation, such as 'amout of the time' (amount) and 'had a risen' (had risen). Additionally, 'double to 13%' should be 'doubled to 13%'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms for 'increased' or 'decreased' to avoid repetition.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'The pie chart compare' (compares), 'spending their time' (spend their time), and 'at working' (at work). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with missing spaces after periods and before conjunctions. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent punctuation will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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