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 compare the proportion of the day spent by working adults on various activities. Overall, it is evident that the percentage of activities, such as working, relaxing at home, and travelling to work increased over the given period, whereas sleeping and going out with friends decreased. Notably, playing sports remained same in the both years. Working accounted for the highest percentage of the adult activities, recording 33% in 1958, and 42% in 2008. travelling to work and relaxing at home accounted for 2% in1958, which rose to 7% in 2008. Similarly, the figures for adults relaxing at home climbed from 8% to 13% between 1958 and 2008. By contrast, adults sleeping time made up 32% in 1958, which fell to 25% in 2008. The percentage of adults going out with family or friends was 19% in 1958, before declining to 6% in 2008. Meanwhile, the proportion of adults playing sports remained unchanged, at 7% in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response effectively identifies the main trends and makes relevant comparisons between the two years. You have successfully highlighted the key increases (working, relaxing at home) and decreases (sleeping, going out). However, there is a factual error in your reporting: you stated that 'travelling to work' accounted for 2% in 1958, but the data provided in the prompt (implied by your own text) suggests this category is distinct. Additionally, your overview is slightly inaccurate; you mentioned 'relaxing at home' increased, but you also included it in the list of activities that increased in the overview, which is correct, but the grouping could be more precise. Overall, the main features are clearly presented.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information by trend. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'Notably,' 'By contrast,' and 'Similarly' to guide the reader. However, the paragraphing is somewhat cramped, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly mechanical in their structure. Overall, the progression of ideas is logical and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion,' 'accounted for,' 'declining,' and 'remained unchanged.' There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'adults sleeping time' (should be 'adults' sleeping time' or 'time spent sleeping') and 'remained same' (should be 'remained the same'). While you successfully convey the meaning, the vocabulary is functional rather than sophisticated. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increased' and 'decreased' and ensure articles and possessives are used accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'remained same in the both years' (should be 'remained the same in both years') and 'travelling to work and relaxing at home accounted for 2% in1958' (missing space and incorrect data grouping). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor errors in article usage and prepositional phrases. The majority of your sentences are error-free, but the frequency of minor slips prevents a higher score. Focus on proofreading for small errors like missing articles and spacing.

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

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