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 given pie charts illustrates how working individuals in a specific nation spent their hours in the year 1958 and 2008.

Overall, it is clearly seen that, in the 1958, people used to invest their time more in working and sleeping. Although in 2008 most of the people spent their time in working.

In 1958, working and sleeping were on top of the list for working professionals to spent their part of time in it. Both activities had approximately same percentage of time spent , accounted for 33% and 32 % respectively. Followed by going out with friends and family which stood at 19% . However, Relaxing at home and travelling to work was not much famous among working people. they spent less time on these activities which accounted for 19% and 8% respectively.

On the other hand, Time spent on Working had increased in the year 2008 which was 42% o

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response is incomplete, as it cuts off mid-sentence at the end. While you have identified the main features and attempted a comparison, the lack of a conclusion and the failure to complete the description of the 2008 data significantly impact the task fulfillment. You have successfully highlighted the key trends, such as the increase in working hours, but the analysis is truncated. To improve, ensure you complete the full summary of all data points and provide a clear overview that synthesizes the changes between the two years. Because the response is unfinished, it fails to fully address all parts of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay uses some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'Although', and 'On the other hand', which help to organize the information. However, the paragraphing is somewhat disjointed, and the flow is interrupted by the abrupt ending. The logical progression is hindered by the incomplete nature of the final paragraph. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and that transitions between sentences are smoother. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'spent their part of time in it', which lacks a precise antecedent.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher levels. You rely on basic phrasing like 'spent their time' and 'not much famous'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'invest their time more in working'. To improve, try to use more varied verbs and nouns related to data description, such as 'allocate', 'devote', 'proportion', or 'figure'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility required for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are several grammatical errors throughout the text. For example, 'The given pie charts illustrates' contains a subject-verb agreement error (should be 'illustrate'). You also have issues with articles and prepositions, such as 'in the 1958' (should be 'in 1958') and 'spent their part of time in it'. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often marred by these inaccuracies. To improve, focus on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles with years and time periods. The sentence structure is generally simple, and the errors occasionally cause minor confusion.

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

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