Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-17

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 provided pie chart represent how working adults in a nation allocate theie time in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, in case of spending hours, the highest ratio was by working whereas the lowest value was by travelling to work in given time period.

It is crystal clear that in 1958, masses spent their hours on going out with family and friens was 19% as it declined at the value of 7% in 2008. However, people allocate their time on playing sports was 7% in 2008 ,whereas for working in 1958 was 33% as it inclined about the value of 42%.

In addition, in 1958, individuals spent 8% of the time on relaxing at their houses as it increased about 5% in 2008. Nonetheless, 32% of hours was allocated on sleeping by masses in 1958 however in the next year it was around the ratio of 25%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the two pie charts, identifying key activities such as working, sleeping, and travelling to work, and attempts appropriate comparisons between 1958 and 2008. The overview statement successfully highlights the extremes (working highest, travelling to work lowest). However, there is a minor data inaccuracy regarding the time period in the final sentence ('next year' instead of 'fifty years later'), and the word count is 146 words, which falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement. Due to this under-length penalty, the score is capped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into four paragraphs, following a logical layout with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the specific data. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'It is crystal clear', 'However', and 'In addition' are employed to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('in 1958', 'as it inclined'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of data, maintaining overall coherence despite minor mechanical phrasing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating terms like 'allocate', 'ratio', 'declined', and 'inclined'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('theie', 'friens') and awkward lexical choices ('in case of spending hours', 'masses', 'at the value of'). Less common items are attempted with mixed success, and word choice errors occasionally surface, placing this firmly in the band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative and subordinate clauses ('as it declined at the value of 7% in 2008'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The provided pie chart represent') and incorrect prepositional use ('spent their hours on going out', 'allocated on sleeping'). While communication is not heavily impeded, the frequency of errors prevents the score from reaching band 6.0.

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

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