Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-20
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)
This pie chart illustrates how working adults in a particular country spent their time in different activities in 1958 and 2008.
Overall, working and sleeping accounted largest proportions of the day in both years. Whereas, by 2008, people started relaxing, travelling and sleeping but the proportion of working, sports and going out with friends considerably decreased.
In 1958, working was the largest time consuming activity accounted about 33%, sleeping was accounted 32% making it second largest daily activity and relaxing was about 8%. While one-fifth of the day was spent on going out with friends and travelling accounted just for 2%.
In 2008, increment happened in work from 33% to 42% making it a largest component. Drastic decrement happened in going out with friends from 19% to 6%, travelling inclined slightly from 2% to 7% , playing sports remained approximately constant about 7%, relaxing at home encountered petite increase from 8% to 13%.
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 data and makes relevant comparisons between the two years. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you state that 'working' was 33% in 1958 and increased to 42% in 2008, but the prompt implies different figures. Furthermore, the overview is slightly contradictory; you mention working and sleeping were the largest proportions, but then state that working, sports, and going out decreased, which is confusing. To improve, ensure that your data points are transcribed accurately from the charts and that your summary clearly highlights the most significant trends without internal contradictions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward. Phrases like 'Whereas, by 2008' at the start of a sentence are grammatically incorrect. The transition between ideas within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt, making the flow feel disjointed. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of linking words and phrases more naturally, and ensure that each paragraph has a clear central theme that connects logically to the next.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. You rely on repetitive structures and some unnatural word choices, such as 'increment happened in work' and 'drastic decrement happened'. These are not standard collocations in English. Using 'petite increase' is also stylistically inappropriate for an academic report. To improve, focus on learning specific verbs and nouns for describing trends, such as 'rose', 'declined', 'a significant increase', or 'a marginal rise', and avoid using 'happened' as a filler verb for data changes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly regarding article usage and sentence structure. For example, 'accounted largest proportions' should be 'accounted for the largest proportions', and 'making it a largest component' should be 'making it the largest component'. Additionally, there are issues with verb tense consistency and missing prepositions. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of definite and indefinite articles.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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