Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-23
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 illustrates and compares the data of the working individuals in a country between 1958 and 2008, measured in percentages.
Overall, proportion of working individuals has demonstrated several changes, like working and sleeping habits displays significant proportion. Whereas the trends shifted dramatically lately in 2008.
Looking closely at the numbers, in 1958, the figure for employed humans and sleeping habits keeps most of the proportion Substantially around 33%. Spending time with families is 19%. While relaxation at spare time is only 8%, and Travelling to work is minimally 2%.
In contrast, the trends shifted dramatically, due to playing sports in 2008, has replaced the number of going out with friends or family leaving only 7%. However, working people has significantly outperformed all other sectors and surged to 42%. Sleeping numbers slightly fell to 25%. Travelling to work rose to 7%, Finally Going out with friends and family has decreased to only 6%.
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 pie charts, but the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you identify key trends, such as the increase in working time and the decrease in sleeping time, the comparison between the two years is inconsistent. For instance, you mention 'playing sports' in 2008, but this category is not clearly defined or compared against the 1958 data. The overview is present but lacks clarity, as the phrasing 'working and sleeping habits displays significant proportion' is vague. To improve, ensure you clearly group data points and provide a more precise summary of the most significant changes rather than listing individual percentages in a repetitive manner.
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. Phrases like 'Looking closely at the numbers' and 'In contrast, the trends shifted dramatically' are used, but the logical flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between discussing 1958 and 2008 is abrupt. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as when you mention 'the figure for employed humans' without clearly linking it to the specific category in the chart. Improving the variety and precision of linking words will help the ideas progress more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations. For example, 'employed humans' is unnatural; 'working adults' or 'the workforce' would be more appropriate. Similarly, 'minimally 2%' is not standard phrasing. You attempt to use some descriptive verbs like 'surged' and 'outperformed', which is positive, but these are sometimes used in contexts that do not quite fit the data. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends and avoid repetitive phrasing like 'proportion' and 'number'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'proportion... has demonstrated', 'working people has significantly outperformed') and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'due to playing sports in 2008, has replaced...'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences ending abruptly or containing unnecessary commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are grammatically sound.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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