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 chart showes data on how much percentage of time is spent by working adults across various activities like going out with family, playing sports, travelling to work, working, sleeping and relaxing at home during the years 1958 and 2008.

Firstly, can observe that the maximum time spent by adults across both the years has been working at their jobs whereas the least amount of time spent is different when compared between 1958 - 2008. Most adults spent minimum time while travelling to work ( 2% ) in the year 1958 while others spent only 6% of their time going out with their families in 2008.

Secondly, we can compare and realise that adults have reduced spending their time with their families by 13% as well as are choosing to relax at home more by 5%, by the year 2008. Time spent working has also increased substantially by 9%, at the same time travelling to work has an incline in the span of time required for the same. Adults are also considerably sleeping less.

In conclusion, we can see major changes in the pattern with the time spent across activities in both the years. With working, being the centre of time expense in 1958 and 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers most of the key features of the two pie charts, successfully identifying the main trends such as working being the dominant activity in both 1958 and 2008. Comparisons are made between the two years, noting increases in working and relaxing at home, alongside decreases in sleeping and socialising. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting specific figures; for instance, the student states that adults reduced time spent with families by 13%, whereas the data shows a drop from 19% to 6%, which is a decrease of 13 percentage points or rather 13% of the day (though phrased confusingly as a reduction of 13%). Furthermore, 'playing sports' at 7% in 2008 is entirely omitted from the summary. Despite these minor omissions and data misinterpretations, the response provides an acceptable overall summary, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion, providing an overall logical arrangement. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the phrase 'Secondly, we can compare and realise that...' is clumsy, and the sentence structure in the second paragraph ('Most adults spent minimum time while travelling to work...') lacks smooth flow. Paragraphing is adequate, but the logical progression within paragraphs occasionally stumbles due to awkward transitions and repetitive sentence openers. This places the response firmly in the Band 6 category for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to the visual data such as 'percentages', 'activities', 'travelling to work', and 'relaxing at home'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, including 'substantially', 'considerably', and 'incline', though some word choices are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'time expense' in the conclusion. Spelling is generally accurate, but minor lexical errors and unidiomatic phrasing occur throughout, such as 'how much percentage of time' in the opening sentence. The lexical range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, but the limitations and occasional inaccuracies restrict the score to Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions throughout the text. For instance, the opening sentence 'The chart showes data on...' contains a spelling error ('showes') and a slight structural flaw in phrasing. Other errors include 'can observe' missing a subject pronoun ('we can observe'), and 'travelling to work has an incline in the span of time required', which is unidiomatic and grammatically strained. While punctuation is generally acceptable and complex sentences are attempted, errors in grammar and word formation persist and occasionally impede smooth readability. These features correspond to a Band 6.0.

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

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