Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-05
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 how grown people working in a certain country spent their time between 1958 and 2008. This essay will summarise the information and make comparison here necessary.
Overall, working, sleeping, and going out with friends and family was seen having the largest chart while traveling to work is recorded to be the lowest of them all. While in 2008, working, sleeping and relaxing at home having a relatively bigger portion then going out with friends and family, playing sports and traveling to work who all have almost the size in the pie chart.
In 1958, the three largest portion that was noticed is working which is about 33%, the 32% is spent of sleeping while 19% is used on going out with friends or family. On the other hand, the percentage spent on going to just 8% relaxing at relaxing, playing sports and travelling to work is 8%, 5% and 2%. while these shows the minimal figure in the entire chart.
In 2008, the percentage spent of working rose to 42%, while sleep slightly declined to 25% and relaxing at home shows a slight increase making it 13% as against 1958. While the percentage of traveling to work also saw a shift in its percentage to 7% and going out with friends or family decreased drastically to 6% and a slight increased in playing sport was recorded in the chart.
Summarily, the chart recorded changed in percentage in 2008 as it detailed that more people are working and the percentage for sleep declined slightly while relaxing rose and going out relatively record a great decrease.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the pie charts and makes relevant comparisons. However, the analysis is hampered by inaccuracies in data reporting. For example, you state that in 1958, 'the 32% is spent of sleeping', but the chart shows 32% for 'relaxing at home' and 25% for 'sleeping'. Furthermore, the description of the 2008 data contains several errors, such as claiming 'relaxing at home' increased to 13% when the chart indicates 25%. While you identify the main trends, the lack of precision in data interpretation prevents a higher score. Ensure you double-check the figures against the visual data to ensure accuracy.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. However, the flow is often disrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical use of cohesive devices. For instance, the transition 'While in 2008...' at the start of the second paragraph is grammatically incomplete and confusing. Additionally, the use of 'while' is repetitive and sometimes used incorrectly to connect unrelated ideas. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the two years. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring sentences are logically connected would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic verbs like 'spent', 'recorded', and 'showed' throughout the response. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'grown people' instead of 'adults' and 'minimal figure' to describe percentages. Some phrases are awkward, such as 'having a relatively bigger portion then going out'. To improve, you should aim to use more precise terminology for describing data trends, such as 'accounted for', 'constituted', or 'witnessed a significant shift'. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and adverbs would also help convey the information more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('the three largest portion that was noticed is working'), incorrect preposition usage ('spent of sleeping'), and tense inconsistencies. Some sentences are poorly constructed, such as 'relaxing at home shows a slight increase making it 13% as against 1958'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence structure limits the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tenses will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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