Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-12

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 chart depicts the percentage of time allocated by employed adults in a particular time in 1958 and 2008.

Overall it is evident that, work constitute most of the proportion in 1958 as well as in 2008. Moreover, numbers of people relaxing at home rose in 2008 as compared to 1958.

By looking closely it can be seen that, highest percentage was occupied by work that is 33% in 1958 and 42% in 2008. Relaxing at home grew in 2008 as compared to 1958 where it was only 8%. In contrast sleeping showed higher percentage in 1958 that was 32% as compared to 2008 where it was 25%. However, the proportion of adults going out with their families is 19% in 1958 and it plummeted in 2008 accounting for only 6%.

In chart percentage of playing sports plateaued at about 7% in both years. However percentage of people travelling

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response provides a clear overview and identifies key trends, such as the rise in time spent relaxing and the decline in time spent going out. However, the response is incomplete; it ends abruptly mid-sentence ('However percentage of people travelling'), failing to report on all categories or provide a full conclusion. While the main features are selected, the lack of completion significantly impacts the task achievement. To improve, ensure all data categories are addressed and the summary is fully developed before concluding.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay uses basic paragraphing and some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'Moreover', and 'In contrast'. However, the progression is interrupted by the incomplete final sentence, which leaves the reader without a sense of closure. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, and the abrupt ending prevents a logical flow of information. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring that each paragraph is fully formed and that ideas are linked smoothly throughout the entire response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'allocated', 'proportion', 'plummeted', and 'plateaued'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'work constitute most of the proportion' (should be 'constituted the largest proportion') and 'numbers of people relaxing' (should be 'the percentage of time spent'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise academic vocabulary would enhance the quality of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('work constitute') and missing articles ('In chart percentage'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity of the writing. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve the accuracy of your sentences.

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

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