Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-22
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 given pie charts illustrate the spent time of working adults in one nation in 1958 and 2008 .
Overall , it can be seen that the working hours accounted largest proportion in both years . While , playing hours recorded the lowest proportion .
In 1958 , working hours had the largest proportion of 33 % , which was increrased 10 % in 2008 stood at 42 % . Second highest was the sleeping , adults spent 32% in 1958 , then it was decreased slightly in 2008 reaching at 25% . 2% recorded from the travelling to work by 1958 . which was rose 5% in 2008 at 7% . Adults spent time with going out with friends and family only 19% in 1958 . Modest decline in the proportion in 2008 stood at 6% .
By contrast , 8% recorded for relaxing at home in 1958 , which was climbed in 2008 almost double at 13% . Playing sports had the lowest figure in 1958 around 5% , which was increased slightly around 2% , stood at 7% in 2008 .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both pie charts for 1958 and 2008 and makes appropriate comparisons between the two years (e.g., noting that working hours increased from 33% to 42% while sleeping decreased from 32% to 25%). An overview is provided at the beginning, noting that working hours accounted for the largest proportion in both years. However, there is a minor factual inaccuracy in the second paragraph: the student states that playing hours recorded the lowest proportion, whereas in 1958 'travelling to work' was actually the lowest at 2%. Overall, the response is well-supported with relevant data from the charts, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7, placed comfortably at 6.0 due to minor data misinterpretation.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then detailed body paragraphs categorizing the data. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In 1958', and 'By contrast', which help structure the comparison. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'which was increrased 10 % in 2008 stood at 42 %'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, providing a coherent overall arrangement, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'accounted', 'proportion', 'decline', and 'figure'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'the spent time' instead of 'the time spent', and spelling errors like 'increrased' and 'rose' used incorrectly alongside auxiliary structures. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points clearly, these recurring lexical slips keep the score at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses (e.g., 'which was increrased...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with passive voice constructions, tense consistency, and awkward punctuation around percentages (e.g., spaces before percentage signs). Examples include 'travelling to work by 1958 . which was rose 5%', where sentence boundaries and verb forms are mishandled. These errors do not entirely impede communication but occur frequently enough to prevent the student from reaching Band 6.0, fitting the Band 5.5 profile.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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