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 chart illustrates the information about the proportion of the day spent time by working adults on various activities between 1958 and 2008 .
The tree main activities in 1958 , were going with friends \ family , sleeping , working with 19% , 32% and 33% . adults mostly time spent on working at 42% . this figure increased and it almost half share in 2008 . adults going out with friends and family saw a notable decrease to 6% in 2008 . by contrast , sleeping time despite a minor decrease to 25% by 2008 .
the three remaining activities had lowest share in 1958 travelling to work , relaxing at home with 2% , and 8% . travelling to work went and playing from the same share at 7% in 2008 . relaxing at home the third highest share in 2008 replaced going out with friends or family as the third highest share in 2008 .
overall, working was the highest share in both years , while other activities lost percentage in both
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the pie charts, identifying the key trends in working, sleeping, and leisure activities. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the mention of '19%, 32% and 33%' for 1958 lacks clear labels for which percentage corresponds to which activity, making the data difficult to follow. Additionally, the description of the 2008 data is fragmented, and some comparisons are unclear, such as the confusing sentence regarding 'travelling to work' and 'playing'. To reach a higher band, you must ensure that all data points are clearly linked to their respective categories and that the overview provides a more cohesive summary of the most significant changes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is often hindered by awkward phrasing and poor sentence structure. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'by contrast' and 'overall', they are not always employed effectively to guide the reader. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where the connection between the activities and their percentages is muddled. The paragraphing is present, but the internal flow of ideas within the paragraphs is disjointed, which impacts the overall readability and coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'share', 'activities', and 'highest'. There are also issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'the tree main activities' (likely a spelling error for 'three') and 'adults mostly time spent on working'. These errors occasionally make the meaning slightly difficult to grasp. To improve, you should aim to use a wider variety of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' (e.g., 'rose', 'declined', 'plummeted') and ensure that your vocabulary is used in the correct context to describe statistical data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('spent time' instead of 'spent'), missing articles, and awkward sentence construction ('this figure increased and it almost half share'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas and periods. While the meaning is generally discernible, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence structure prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct sentence formation will be key to improvement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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