Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-12

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)

From the given pie charts, We are going to discuss about how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008. Different types of activities performed by working adults in a full day compared through pie charts.

In 1958, the percentage of working in a day was 33% which suggested 8 hours of working in a single day. They spent around 5 hrs with friends and family for going out that was 19% of the day. The sleeping percentage of woking adults of 1958 was almost same as working hours. Relaxing at home, playing sports and travelling to work percentage was 8,6 and 2 respectively. This pie chart suggested that there was a balance of all activities across the working adults of 1958.

In 2008, the percentage of working in a day was 42 which was 10 hours of working in a single day. In comparison of 1958, this was more hectic than past. Sleeping was 6 hours which was 2 hours lesst than people of 1958. Relaxing at home was 13 % and going out with friends and family came down to 6%. These 2 suggested that the people of 1958 was more focused to go outside to enjoy with family whereas the people of 2008 was preferred to relax at home. Playing sports was 7% and Travelling to work was 7% which suggested people of 2008 travelled more compared to 1958.

In conclusion, we can say that the life of working adults of 1958 was more balanced and way less stressful compared to working adults of 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all the main features of the two pie charts, providing data points for both 1958 and 2008, such as working hours, sleeping, and leisure activities. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data. For instance, the student states that working hours in 1958 were 33% and that this suggested 8 hours, whereas 33% of a 24-hour day is approximately 8 hours, but the chart displays specific hour distributions or percentages that need more precise reporting. Furthermore, the analysis tends to drift into personal interpretation ('this was more hectic than past') rather than purely summarising and comparing. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the lack of a proper overview and some data inaccuracies place this response at Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is structured into clear paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs detailing the respective years, and a brief conclusion. However, the progression within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by awkward transitions and mechanical referencing. For example, starting paragraphs with direct references to the years ('In 1958...', 'In 2008...') creates a list-like structure rather than a fluid comparison of trends. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes repetitively or inaccurately, such as 'These 2 suggested that...'. Paragraphing is present and logically separates the time periods, but overall cohesion remains somewhat faulty. Therefore, a score of 5.5 is appropriate.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to time allocation and activities, such as 'working adults', 'relaxing at home', and 'travelling to work'. However, the range is limited and repetitive, with frequent reliance on basic words and structures. There are also noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'the percentage of working in a day' instead of 'the percentage of time spent working', and spelling slips like 'lesst' instead of 'less'. Because the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic message despite these flaws, it meets the criteria for Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The sleeping percentage of woking adults of 1958 was almost same as working hours.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('percentage of working', 'in comparison of'), tense inconsistencies, and preposition errors ('preferred to relax at home' without 'was'). Sentences attempting complex structures are often faulty, and typos like 'woking' further detract from accuracy. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, their frequency prevents the writing from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.0 a fair evaluation.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.