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 charts illustrate the propportion of the day spent by working adults on various activities. Overall, it is clear that the adults spent most of their time doing work in both years. Notably time spend on traveling , sleeping, and going out with freinds decreased over the given period. In 1958, the proportion of men doing work was 33%, whereas travelling to work accounted for 2%. By 2008, the perecentage of working rose to 42%, recording the highest among all the categories, and the time spent while traveling for the work reach 7%. The proportion of relaxing at home grew from 8% to 13% between 1958 and 2008. By contrast, the figures of sleeping and going out with family or freinds decreased from 32% to 25% and 19% to 6% respectively throughout the period. Meanwhile, the percentage of playing sports remained unchanged at 7% in both years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the charts and makes relevant comparisons. However, it falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. While the overview is clear, the analysis could be more detailed to fully develop the trends. For instance, the report mentions that time spent on sleeping and socializing decreased, but it could have provided more comparative analysis between the categories to better highlight the shifts in lifestyle. The inclusion of data is accurate, but the overall development is limited by the brevity of the response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, and the use of cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'by contrast', and 'meanwhile' helps to link the information effectively. However, the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is somewhat abrupt. Overall, the structure is sufficient to follow the writer's argument, but it lacks the sophisticated cohesion required for a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe the data with reasonable precision. Terms like 'proportion', 'accounted for', and 'remained unchanged' are used correctly. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'propportion', 'perecentage', 'freinds', and 'spend' (used instead of 'spent'), which detract from the overall quality. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, the frequent spelling inaccuracies limit the score. To improve, the writer should focus on proofreading to eliminate basic errors and aim to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some accurate complex sentences, such as 'By contrast, the figures of sleeping and going out with family or freinds decreased from 32% to 25% and 19% to 6% respectively'. However, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'time spend on traveling' (should be 'spent') and 'the perecentage of working rose' (should be 'time spent working'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor issues with spacing and comma usage. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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