Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-29
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 illustrates the proportion of adult professionals' daily routine in specific country in the year 1958 and 2008.
Overall, People had spent most of the their time on working in both year. The sleeping hour ranked second which was slightly decrease over the period. A new hobbies playing sports had developed in 2008.
Spending time on working was 33 percent which was the highest proportion among all activities. it increased by 9 percent in 2008. Comparing to 1958, sleeping time was reduce in 2008 from 32 percent to 25 percent. In 2008, Energetic employees got used to playing sports where they played 7 percent of their total time.
Percentage of relaxing at home was 8 percent in1958 while it was increase in 2008 and reached to 13 percent. Going out with friends and family was significantly went down from 19 percent to 6 percent over the period. In 1958, only 2 percent of time used to travelling to work, whereas this figure rose to 7 percent in 2008.
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 requirements of the task by identifying the main features and making comparisons. You successfully highlighted the trends for working, sleeping, and leisure activities. However, the overview is slightly weak; while you mentioned working and sleeping, you could have more clearly contrasted the overall shift in lifestyle. Some data points are presented, but the analysis could be more integrated. For example, you mention 'a new hobby' of sports, but it would be more accurate to describe it as an activity that emerged or became significant by 2008. Ensure that all data points are clearly linked to the years provided to avoid ambiguity.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1958', and 'whereas'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is unclear; in the second paragraph, you mention 'both year' (should be 'both years'), and the connection between the sentences in the third paragraph could be smoother. Using a wider variety of linking words would help improve the logical progression of your ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the main points, such as 'proportion', 'activities', and 'significantly'. However, there are several instances of word choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'sleeping hour ranked second' (should be 'sleeping time') and 'time used to travelling' (should be 'time spent travelling'). Some collocations are also inaccurate, such as 'slightly decrease' (should be 'a slight decrease'). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends and ensure that your word forms (nouns vs. verbs) are used correctly in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('The pie charts illustrates'), tense inconsistencies ('was reduce', 'was increase', 'significantly went down'), and missing articles or incorrect prepositions. These errors occur throughout the text and occasionally require the reader to re-read to understand the intended meaning. To improve, focus on consistent verb tense usage when describing past data and ensure subject-verb agreement is maintained in every sentence.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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