Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-19
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)
Given pie graph illustrate us the time spent by working adults in a country in 1958 and 2008. The information is given in percentage.
Overall, In past people have enough time for sleeping , family. And also there was a balance between work and other chores. But with the passage of time work load increase and youth have no enough time to spend it with family and also their sleep disturb.
The major change is in time spend with family and friend. In 1958 they invest 19% of their day time with family and friends but now it decline to 6%. There is rise of working time also. Earlier people works for 33% of their whole day which inclined to 42% in 2008. While other activities include playing sports and playing sports are below 10% in both years.
Although sleeping rate is declined up to 25% but the positive thing is young ones get more time for relaxation at home. In 1958 it was 8% which rises to 13% in 2008.
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. However, the analysis is somewhat subjective and informal. For instance, phrases like 'the positive thing is' are inappropriate for an academic report, which should remain objective. While you identified the key trends, such as the increase in working hours and the decrease in time spent with family, the commentary on 'youth' and 'sleep disturb' is speculative and not supported by the data provided. To improve, focus strictly on reporting the data trends without adding personal opinions or external assumptions about the quality of life.
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 inaccurate. For example, 'And also there was a balance' at the start of a sentence is grammatically weak, and the transition 'Although sleeping rate is declined' is awkward. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the shift between topics feels abrupt. Using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'in contrast', 'furthermore') would help create a smoother flow between your observations.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You frequently use basic verbs like 'is', 'get', and 'works'. There are also several instances of incorrect word choice and collocation, such as 'sleeping rate is declined' (should be 'time spent sleeping decreased') and 'inclined to' (likely meant 'increased to'). Some phrasing is non-standard, such as 'Given pie graph illustrate us'. To reach a higher band, you need to use more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'witnessed a significant rise', 'remained relatively stable', or 'accounted for'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('work load increase' instead of 'increased'), missing articles ('in past' instead of 'in the past'), and incorrect verb tenses ('people works' instead of 'people worked'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. When you do attempt more complex structures, they often contain errors, such as 'playing sports and playing sports are below 10%'. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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