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)
The pei graphs illustrate the percentage of different activities spent by working adults on different activities in 1958 and 2008. Overall, while adult devoted the largest percentage of their daily time on working ond sleeping in 1958, the time spend on working increased substantially in 2008 to become the highest activity among other.
Working adult spent the highest proportion of their daly time on workin and sleeping, at 33% and 32% respectively in 1958. Followed by going out with friends/ family that mad up half of the time percentage spent on sleeping, at 19%. However, time spent on relaxing at home and commuting to work together constituted tenth of the total.
In 2008, time sonsumed on working increases compared to 1958, at 42%, which representing the highest category at this year. While the time spent on sleeping decreased at a quarter, this category ranked the second as in 2008. Relaxing time at home rose at 13% , while time sent for travelling to work and palying sport made up 7% each. Finally, the time used for going out with friends/ family reresented the lowest proportion among other categories at 6% only.
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 the two years. You successfully identified the shift in the most time-consuming activities, such as the increase in work and the decrease in socialising. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you stated that relaxing at home and commuting constituted a 'tenth' of the total, which is mathematically unclear, and you described 25% as 'at a quarter' rather than 'to a quarter'. While the overview is present, the data interpretation needs more precision to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, a body paragraph for 1958, and a body paragraph for 2008. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'Finally' to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical errors in sentence structure, such as 'Followed by going out with friends/ family that mad up half of the time percentage'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the progression of ideas could be smoother with more varied linking words.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'constituted', and 'categories'. However, there are frequent spelling errors ('pei', 'daly', 'workin', 'sonsumed', 'palying', 'reresented') and some word choice issues, such as 'time sonsumed on working' instead of 'time spent working'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, although they do not fully impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for spelling and ensuring that collocations are accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('adult devoted', 'Working adult spent') and incorrect preposition usage ('rose at 13%' instead of 'rose to 13%'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing and the use of slashes. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for small grammatical slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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