Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-31

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 chart illustrates that in the year 1958 and 2008, how jobians passed their time in a specific nation.

Overall, in the begining the percentages of working, relaxing at home and travelling has been considerably increased while the amount of hanging out with friends or family and sleeping has been declined in the end.

In terms of working, the total percentage of working adults in 1958 was 33% which rose up to 42% in 2008. The proportion of relaxing at home and travelling was about 8% and 2% in the year 1958 that increased upto 13% and 7% in 2008 respectively.

Furthermore, after the mid twenty century, the ratio of going out with family or friends in a particular nation was about 19% in 1958 while in 2008, it considerably got decreased to 6%. In addition, the working adults who contributed sleeping 32% to a country in 1958 but, in 2008, it diminished to 25%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data and makes relevant comparisons between the two years. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for instance, it claims 'relaxing at home' increased, which is correct, but it incorrectly groups 'travelling' and 'sleeping' together in its summary of trends. The data is generally presented clearly, but the analysis lacks a degree of precision in its reporting of the trends. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview captures the most significant trends accurately without grouping disparate categories incorrectly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In terms of', 'Furthermore', and 'In addition' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly forced. The referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure helps the reader follow the comparison of the two years effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but there are several non-standard word choices, such as 'jobians' (which is not a standard English term) and 'mid twenty century'. Phrases like 'got decreased' are informal and imprecise. While the student attempts to use a range of vocabulary to describe trends (e.g., 'rose up', 'diminished'), the control is inconsistent. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding informal phrasing or invented terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the percentages... has been considerably increased' (subject-verb agreement) and 'contributed sleeping 32%' (incorrect preposition/verb usage). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is occasionally awkward. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice for data description would be beneficial.

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

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