Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-25

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 diagram depicts how working adults in a specific country spend their time in comparison between the year 1958 and 2008.

From an overall perspective, the adults those spent their time in 1958 to work accounted for the greatest percent as well as in the year 2008.

To begin with, the number of individuals who spent time to travell to work was shown to be the least with just 2% in 1958. However, the year 2008 witness a approximate triple in the percent of those who spent time for travelling to work.

To continue, the percents of people spending time to play sports were identical through the two seperated years with 7%. On the other hand, the ones who hanged out with friends or families in year 1958 took 19% of the total chart. Meanwhile, in 2008, it can be seen to fall down by third, at 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While you have identified some main features, such as the increase in travel time and the decrease in social time, the analysis is incomplete. You have not covered all categories shown in the charts, and the comparison is somewhat superficial. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a more comprehensive overview of all data points and ensure the response meets the minimum length requirement to allow for full development of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical flow is somewhat mechanical. You use transition signals like 'To begin with' and 'To continue', but the progression between ideas feels disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the comparison between 1958 and 2008 is slightly confusing. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to link sentences and ideas more naturally, ensuring that the relationship between the data points is clearly articulated for the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'spent their time' and 'the number of individuals'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'witness a approximate triple' (should be 'witnessed an approximate tripling') and 'seperated years' (should be 'respective years'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to trends and data, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a significant shift'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the adults those spent their time' (incorrect relative clause), 'the year 2008 witness' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'fall down by third' (missing article). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions to ensure your writing is more accurate and professional.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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