Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-30

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 graph illustrates 6 different tasks that adults worker spent their time on every day. The unit of measurement is percentage.

Overall, there was a slight increase in working between 1958 and 2008. In contrast, going out with family and friends experienced a dramatic fall in that period.

The graph displays three activities that slightly increased like working, relaxing at home and travelling from 1958 to 2008. Working task slightly rose from 33% to 42%. In addition, relaxing at home were doubled from 8% to 13% in that period. While playing sports were steadily the same with a 7% in the entire period. The major task that workers did in that period is working with 33% in 1958 to rise into 42% in 2008.

The other activities like going out with family and friends dramatically decrease from 19% in 1958 to 6% in 2008. In addition , sleeping activity slightly fall from 32% to 25% between 1958 to 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons. You successfully highlighted the significant increase in working hours and the dramatic decline in socialising. However, the report lacks precision in some areas; for instance, you mention that relaxing at home 'doubled' from 8% to 13%, which is mathematically inaccurate. Additionally, the repetition of the working statistics in the second paragraph is unnecessary and disrupts the flow. To improve, ensure that all data points are accurately interpreted and avoid repeating information, as this detracts from the clarity of your summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. There is a clear progression of ideas, and you use some cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'In addition', and 'While'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a distinct focus without overlapping content.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dramatically decrease', 'steadily the same', and 'experienced a dramatic fall'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'adults worker' (should be 'working adults') and 'Working task' (should be 'Time spent working'). There is also some repetition of basic verbs like 'did' and 'rose'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that your word forms are correct in context.

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 several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('relaxing at home were doubled', 'sleeping activity slightly fall') and incorrect preposition usage ('in the entire period'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors with spacing and comma placement. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining your use of verb tenses when describing past trends.

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

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