Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-28

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 charts compare the percentage of the day spent by working adults on various activities in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, employee mainly spent their time on working in both years. While, travelling to work was the lowest in share in 1958 and going out with friend/family was least proportion in 2008.

In 1958, adults generally spent their hours in working, so the percentage of working was significant which was 33% and the most lowest proportion activities was travelling to work shows only 2%. Furthermore, going out with friends/family contributed 19%, sleeping was 32% and relaxing at home by 8%.

In compare by 2008, there were several changes in the percentage of activities. Firstly, working activity reaming highest by 42% , In contrast, travelling to work shows a minimal increased by 7%. Additionally, going out with friend represent decreased by 6%, sleeping also fell in percentage by 25%, relax at home experienced upward by 13%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the pie charts and makes relevant comparisons between 1958 and 2008. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, cohesive overview. While the key data points are identified, the description of trends is occasionally imprecise, such as stating 'travelling to work shows a minimal increased by 7%' when the data indicates a change from 2% to 7%. The response addresses all parts of the task, but the development of the comparison could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes awkward or repetitive. Phrases like 'In compare by 2008' and 'Firstly' are used, but the transition between ideas is occasionally disjointed. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect the data points more fluidly rather than listing them in a sequence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'the most lowest proportion activities' and 'working activity reaming highest'. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles with collocations related to data reporting. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends and proportions, such as 'accounted for', 'constituted', or 'a significant rise'.

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 'employee mainly spent their time on working' (subject-verb agreement/article usage), 'going out with friend represent decreased' (pluralisation/verb tense), and 'relax at home experienced upward' (word form). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage is required.

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

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