Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-03

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)

In those pie charts there are percentages of working adults that spent their time in a day which are from particular countries.

In chart there is comparison between two years in the left side o chart we see the percentages of the day spent by working adults on various activities in 1958.On right side there are percentages in 2008.In 1958 peoples works only 33% in a day which is 9% less than to the 2008.In 1958 workers rest 8% at home which is to short time period for resting.The peoples in 19s can sleep 32% in a day as equal to their work time.They can travel for working purpose only 2% and can spend their time outside with friends or family 19%.

The working adults in 2008 can work 42% and rest 13% both more than 1958.They can sleep 35% and spend time with their family or friends only 6% which is too less than the workers in 1958.They travel a lot for working purpose which is 7% and is equal to the time for playing sports in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, such as the increase in working hours and the decrease in leisure time. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and relies heavily on listing individual percentages rather than synthesising the data to highlight significant trends. For instance, the comparison between 1958 and 2008 is fragmented across two paragraphs. To improve, you should group information more logically—perhaps by comparing categories across both years—and provide a clearer overview of the most striking changes. The inclusion of '19s' instead of '1958' and some inaccuracies in data interpretation (e.g., stating sleep time is 'as equal to' work time in 1958 when the data shows 32% vs 33%) slightly weaken the accuracy of the report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow between sentences is often mechanical and repetitive. You rely on simple transition phrases like 'In chart' or 'In 1958', which makes the progression feel disjointed. Cohesive devices are limited and sometimes used incorrectly, such as 'which is to short time period' and 'which is too less than'. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'conversely', 'in contrast', 'meanwhile') to connect your ideas more fluidly. Additionally, ensure that referencing is clear; currently, the connection between the two charts is not fully established through cohesive language.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use basic descriptors like 'too less' and 'peoples', which are grammatically incorrect and stylistically weak. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'percentages', 'comparison', 'activities'), but the phrasing is often unnatural. To improve, focus on learning collocations related to data description, such as 'a significant increase', 'remained stable', or 'accounted for'. Avoid informal phrasing like 'a lot' and 'too less', opting instead for more academic alternatives like 'a substantial amount' or 'significantly lower'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but errors are frequent and occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'peoples works', 'workers rest'), incorrect tense usage (e.g., 'can work' instead of 'worked'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'which is to short time period'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods and commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of grammatical slips prevents the text from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement and tense consistency.

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

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