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)

The pie charts illustrate the working of adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.

However, the first chart shows the percentage of the day spent by working adults on various activities in 1958 in which we can easily see that most of the time adults have spend while working about 33% and apart from that adults spent their time mostly while sleeping about 32% however they also do some other things like relaxing at home about 8% of the time, traveling to work about 2% or going outside with friends and family which is 19% of the total time they have spent.

Moreover, the second chart illustrate that in 2008 the working time is increased up to 42% also time they used to relax at home to 13% but the sleeping time is decreased to 25% and traveling to work time also increased because the working time is increased but it affects the family and friends time because it decreased to 6% but one other activity is added to their lifestyle which is playing sports and now they are spending around 7% of the time while playing sports.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying key trends such as the increase in working hours and the decrease in sleep. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks a clear overview or summary of the most significant changes. The data reporting is occasionally imprecise, and the response would benefit from a more structured approach to comparing the two years. While all parts of the task are addressed, the lack of a distinct overview paragraph and the reliance on listing data points rather than synthesizing information limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is repetitive, with 'however' and 'also' being used frequently to connect clauses. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the lack of a clear concluding summary affects the overall coherence. While the progression of ideas is generally logical, the reliance on simple linking words makes the writing feel disjointed at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'do some other things' and 'the working time is increased' are somewhat simplistic. There is an attempt to use specific terms related to the charts, but the range is limited. The student relies on basic verbs and nouns, which prevents a more sophisticated description of the trends. To improve, the student should focus on using more varied verbs for describing change, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'witnessed a significant rise'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('the second chart illustrate'), incorrect verb tenses ('adults have spend'), and awkward phrasing ('the working of adults... spent their time'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences that lack proper clause separation. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors indicates a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of sentence construction.

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

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