Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-11
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 given pie charts demonstrate the proportions of the day spent by working adult on several activities between 1958 and 2008.
It can be explicitly seen from the given pie charts that in the year of 1958 Adults were found of of going out with friends and family more as compared to 2008. Moreover, in the year of 2008 workers were spending their days mostly on activities such as, travelling to work and relaxing at more which was 7% and 13% respectively. However, in 1958, people had spent only 2% on travelling to work and 8% on relaxing at home, which was less than 2008.
Moving further, In 2008 adult had spent immense amount of their time on working which was 42% and in 1958 they had spent 33% on working. Additionally, in 2008 people had spent on sleeping only 25% while 32% in 1958.
Overall, it can be denoted from the pie charts that in 1958 young workers had spent more time on working as well as sleeping while less on sleeping.
Apart from this, in 2008 workers had contributed more proportion of their time on working and less on not only playing sports but also travelling to work.
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 the main features of the charts, but the analysis is inconsistent and contains factual inaccuracies. For instance, you state that in 1958, adults spent more time on 'going out with friends and family' compared to 2008, but the data provided in the prompt (if visible) would need to be clearly referenced. More importantly, the summary in the final paragraph contradicts your own earlier data, stating that workers spent 'less on sleeping' in 1958, while your previous paragraph correctly noted 32% in 1958 versus 25% in 2008. The overview is confusing and lacks clarity, failing to highlight the most significant trends effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by contradictory statements and repetitive phrasing. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Moving further', and 'Additionally', they are sometimes used mechanically. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the final paragraph introduces confusion by restating information that contradicts the body paragraphs. To improve, ensure that your overview clearly synthesises the main trends rather than repeating specific data points, and check that your concluding summary aligns with the evidence presented earlier in the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'found of of going out' (likely meant 'fond of') and 'relaxing at more'. The phrase 'immense amount of their time' is slightly informal for an academic report. While you attempt to use a range of vocabulary, the errors in word choice and the repetitive nature of the descriptions limit the score. Focus on using more precise academic terminology to describe trends and proportions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('adult had spent'), incorrect preposition usage ('relaxing at more'), and awkward phrasing ('in the year of 1958'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary commas and capitalization errors (e.g., 'In 2008 adult'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and sentence structure would significantly improve the quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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