Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-23

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)

Given piecharts illustrate how working adults spent time in two different years in a certain country.

Overall, rapid icrease has been seen in working portion in 2008 which is proportionally more than in 1958. however the proportion of relaxing at home increased. While the sleeping has fallen. Travelling to work also have difference.Playing sports remained constant.However, proportion of going out with relatives, friends has rapidly decreased.

Various activities have been mentioned and there is a difference between them in both years as we can see that the working proportion has increased 9% in 2008. While relaxing at home increased 5%. Sleeping decreased 7% as compared to 1958.Travelling to work increased 2%. Playing sports proportionally remained constant in both years. While spending free time with friends or going out of them has decreased 13% which is the most fallen number in both years.

In, conclusion both years have different proportions regarding activities done by the working adults increase and decrease have been seen in different activities but not too much.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses the main task requirements by summarising the data from both pie charts and making relevant comparisons between 1958 and 2008. The candidate correctly identifies key trends, such as the increase in working hours (from 33% to 42%) and the decline in sleeping time (from 32% to 25%). An overview is attempted in the first paragraph, noting general shifts, and figures are integrated to support the descriptions. However, there is a factual inaccuracy regarding sports: the student states that 'Playing sports remained constant', but the data shows it was 0% (or unmentioned/negligible) in 1958 and 7% in 2008, meaning it actually appeared rather than remaining constant. Furthermore, some comparisons lack precision. Despite these minor issues, all main features are covered, supporting a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement and attempts to organise information logically into introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak; the body is split awkwardly, and the opening statement ('Given piecharts illustrate...') lacks necessary articles. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often repetitive or mechanically applied, such as starting multiple sentences with 'While' or 'However' ('however the proportion', 'While the sleeping has fallen', 'While relaxing at home increased'). Additionally, punctuation and sentence boundaries are occasionally faulty, with fragments like 'Travelling to work also have difference.Playing sports remained constant.' detracting from the overall flow. Reference and substitution are generally clear, but the lack of smooth transitions limits the score to a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to discuss percentages and activities using words like 'proportion', 'rapid increase', and 'remained constant'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'working portion' instead of 'proportion of time spent working', 'sleeping has fallen', and 'most fallen number' instead of 'largest decrease'. Spelling and word formation errors also appear, most notably 'icrease' instead of 'increase'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, preventing the response from reaching a higher band. Because the errors do not impede overall communication, the vocabulary is sufficient for a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are frequently marred by grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement errors ('Travelling to work also have difference') and missing articles ('Given piecharts illustrate', 'in conclusion'). Punctuation errors are also present, such as missing capitalisation and spacing issues between sentences ('difference.Playing'). While some simple sentences are accurate, frequent errors in grammar and punctuation occur throughout the text, occasionally causing minor strain for the reader. This performance aligns closely with the Band 5.0 descriptors, where a limited range of structures and frequent errors persist.

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

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