Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-26
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 above pie chart illustrates how working adults in a specific country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.
Overall, working accounted for the largest propotion of the day in both years. Meanwhile, the amount of sleeping and going out with friends and family commonly decreased over the period. Travelling to work and playing sports became more common in 2008.
To begin with, working makes the largest propotion of the day with 33% in 1958 and it increased significantly and reach 42% in 2008. Similarly, travelling to work and playing sports became more choosen activites which increased by 2% and 6% in 1958 and and reach the level 7% in both activities in 2008.
In contrast, sleeping stood with the 32% in 1958 and experienced slight decreased by 25% in 2008. Moreover, Relaxing at home accounted 8% in the base year and it increased steadily up to 13% in 2008. Going out with friends/family makes the 19% in the year 1958 and decreased by 13% over the period 2008.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response provides a clear overview of the main trends and selects relevant data points to support the description. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you state that sleeping 'decreased by 25%' when the chart shows a decrease from 32% to 25%. Similarly, you mention going out with friends/family 'decreased by 13%' when the actual drop was from 19% to 6%. These errors in interpreting the data mean that the information is not accurately reported, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, ensure you carefully distinguish between the final value and the amount of change.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile', 'To begin with', and 'In contrast' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the most significant category (work) to the others. However, the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'the base year', which could be more clearly linked to 1958. Overall, the structure is functional and supports the reader's understanding of the information presented.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'accounted for', 'increased significantly', and 'experienced a slight decrease'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and spelling errors, such as 'propotion' (proportion), 'more choosen activites' (more popular activities), and 'reach the level 7%'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. To achieve a higher score, focus on using collocations more accurately and proofreading for common spelling mistakes. Expanding your range to include more precise descriptive verbs would also be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and prepositions. Examples include 'working makes the largest propotion' (should be 'made up'), 'it increased significantly and reach' (should be 'reached'), and 'sleeping stood with the 32%' (should be 'stood at 32%'). These errors occur frequently throughout the text. While they do not completely impede communication, they demonstrate a lack of control over basic grammatical structures, which limits the score for this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.