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 pie charts illustrates working adults doing different activities in a day between 1958 and 2008. There is significant differences between the activities.
In 1958 most individual worked almost 35% of their time. They relaxed at home for almost 8% of their time. They spent almost 32% of their time sleeping which is very necessary for maintaining health and having a calm, fully functioning brain for the coming day. Those who were working needed almost 2% of their time for travelling to work daily. They also spent time with friends and family for 19% of their precious time of a day. They refreshed themselves by playing sports for the rest of their time.
however in 2008 people worked 42% of their time daily. Their time for relaxing at home also rose to 13% but time for sleeping has declined to 25% which is very tiny amount of time. They now take 7% of their time daily just to travel to work. Spending time with friends and family have also declined to only 6%. They spent time playing sports for 7% time of their daily life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts and makes relevant comparisons between 1958 and 2008. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, you mention that sleeping time 'declined to 25% which is very tiny amount of time', which is a subjective comment rather than an objective report. Additionally, the overview is weak; it merely states there are differences without highlighting the most significant trends, such as the increase in work hours or the decrease in time spent with family. To improve, focus on grouping data logically and providing a clear, analytical summary of the key shifts observed over the 50-year period.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for this task. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition 'however in 2008' is used to start the final paragraph, but the overall flow between sentences is somewhat repetitive, relying heavily on 'they' and 'their time'. To reach a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'In contrast', 'Conversely', 'Furthermore') to better connect your ideas and improve the progression of the information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You frequently repeat phrases like 'time of their time' and 'spent time'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'very tiny amount of time', which is not appropriate for an academic report. To improve, try to use more precise synonyms for 'time' (e.g., 'duration', 'proportion of the day') and avoid subjective language. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and adverbs would also help to better convey the changes in the data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are several grammatical errors throughout the text. Subject-verb agreement is inconsistent, such as in 'The pie charts illustrates' (should be 'illustrate') and 'Spending time with friends and family have also declined' (should be 'has'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and sentence structure, such as 'most individual worked' (should be 'most individuals worked'). While the meaning is generally clear, these frequent errors indicate a lack of control over complex structures. Focus on proofreading for basic agreement and pluralisation to improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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