Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-15
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 depicts, time spent in particular activities by adults in 1958 and 2008.
Looking from an overall perspective, most adults spend their time on working. And least they spend their least amount of time on travelling to work.
To begin with, in 1958, 33% adults spend their time working. Besides this, 8% adults spend their time relaxing at home, 32% individuals spend their time sleeping. 19% individuals spend their time going out with friends/family. About 2% of them spend their free time travelling to work, and remaining 7% spend time playing sports.
Moving towards, in 2008, 42% individuals spend their time working. About 13% stayed at home relaxing at home. Additionally 25% spend their free time sleeping. Furthermore, 7% of them spend their time travelling to work. Moreover, 6% spend time going out with friends/family. And the remaining 7% spend their time playing sports.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While you have identified the main features and provided data for both years, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, integrated comparison. For example, you list the data for 1958 and 2008 in separate paragraphs without effectively contrasting the trends. To improve, ensure you group information by category or trend rather than just listing the percentages for each year. Additionally, the overview is quite basic; try to highlight the most significant changes, such as the increase in working hours or the decrease in sleep, to provide a more comprehensive summary.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical. Phrases like 'To begin with', 'Moving towards', and 'Additionally' are used to list data rather than to create a logical flow of information. The progression of ideas is limited because the text reads more like a list of statistics than a cohesive report. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that sentences are connected in a way that highlights the relationships between the data points, rather than just stating them sequentially.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is functional but very repetitive. You frequently use the phrase 'spend their time' and 'individuals spend their time', which limits the range of your writing. There is little attempt to use less common vocabulary or synonyms to describe the data. For instance, instead of repeating 'spend their time', you could use terms like 'devoted to', 'allocated to', or 'occupied by'. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary and use it with more precision to describe trends and proportions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains several grammatical errors that affect the clarity of the writing. For example, 'The pie charts depicts' should be 'The pie charts depict' (subject-verb agreement). There are also issues with sentence structure, such as 'And least they spend their least amount of time on travelling', which is awkward and redundant. While you use some simple structures correctly, there is a lack of complex sentence forms. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and try to incorporate more complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions to combine ideas more effectively.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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