Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-07
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 chats below demonstrate that how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 in 2008.
Overall, working is the most spent time by the working adults in both pie charts. Sleeping came at safter this. On the other hand, travelling to work is the category in which students spent their shortest time. While, on the other hand students almost spent half of their time in working in 2008.
In 1958, working and sleeping are the both dominated sectors in which adults spent their time 33% and 32% respectively. Going out with family has a large percentage of 19%. Playing sports , travelling to work and relaxing at home shared almost equal percentage.
By contrast, working is the most contributed sector in 2008 with 42% while sleeping has been reduced to 25%. Students also spent more time in relaxing at home with 13%.Playing sports and travelling to work shared equal percentage of %, on the other hand going out with family reduced to 6%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the charts, but there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you refer to the subjects as 'students' throughout the text, whereas the prompt specifies 'working adults'. Additionally, you state that 'travelling to work' shared an equal percentage with other activities in 1958, but the data provided in the prompt suggests otherwise. While you identify the main trends, such as the increase in working hours and the decrease in sleep, the misinterpretation of the subject and the inconsistent data reporting prevent a higher score. To improve, ensure you strictly adhere to the prompt's definitions and double-check your data transcription.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused. For example, 'While, on the other hand' is redundant and grammatically awkward. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt. While there is a logical progression from an overview to specific details, the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when you switch between years. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help the flow of your writing significantly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'shared almost equal percentage' and 'most contributed sector'. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'safter' (likely a typo for 'after') and 'dominated sectors', which is not the most natural collocation in this context. To reach a higher band, try to use more precise verbs and nouns to describe trends, such as 'accounted for', 'constituted', or 'experienced a decline'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'The pie chats below demonstrate that how' (unnecessary 'that'), 'working is the most spent time' (incorrect collocation), and 'shared equal percentage of %' (incomplete data). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are also inconsistent. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation limit the score. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for small errors will improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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