Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-19
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 two pie charts compared different activities performed by adults to spent their time in 1958 and 2008.
Overall, by far the most favourable task in both years was working, however, significant increase is noticed in 2008. Sleeping was the second most popular task in adults. Meanwhile, other tasks holds only a slight share in their daily activities.
In 1958, most of the time is utilized in working (33%), while in 2008 the value increased to 42% holding the highest proportion, followed closely by sleeping 32% in 1958, whereas decreased to 25% in 2008. Only a small proportion of 19% is contributed to going out with friends and family, whilst the value sharply droped to 6% in 2008.
The time consumed in travelling to office was the least contributor standing at only 2% in 1958, at the same time in 2008 it experienced a slight increse of 7%, same proportion was contributed by playing sports. Furthermore, relaxing at home was contributing only 8% in 1958 but the value increased to 13% in 2008.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all the main features of the two pie charts, comparing the time spent by working adults in 1958 and 2008. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting working as the most popular activity and mentioning changes over time. Key data points are reported accurately, such as working rising from 33% to 42% and sleeping decreasing from 32% to 25%. However, there are minor inaccuracies in interpretation, such as referring to working as the "most favourable task" rather than the one taking up the most time, and treating "playing sports" in 2008 as a comparison rather than a new category introduced that year. Overall, the task is well addressed, earning a Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "Overall," "Meanwhile," and "while in 2008." However, some referencing is slightly awkward or mechanical, such as "other tasks holds only a slight share" (subject-verb agreement error aside) and paragraph transitions can feel abrupt. Paragraphing is present and appropriate for a Task 1 response, resulting in a solid Band 6.0 performance for this criterion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as "proportion," "contributed," and "consumed." However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as "favourable task" instead of "time-consuming activity," "task holds only a slight share," and spelling errors like "droped" and "increse." While communication is not impeded, these inaccuracies and limited flexibility prevent the response from reaching Band 7.0, fitting comfortably within the Band 6.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing dependent clauses such as "while in 2008 the value increased to 42% holding the highest proportion." There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense confusion ("compared different activities... to spent"), subject-verb agreement ("other tasks holds"), and missing prepositions. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear and the sentences are generally understandable, demonstrating the characteristics of a Band 6.0 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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