Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-24
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 pie chart provides information about different ways the working adults in a particular country spend their time in 1958 and 2008. There are similarities in percentages of two of the acitivites but show marked differences in the rest.
In 1958, maximum time was consumed by working, sleeping and spending time outdoors with family as well as friends. In 2008 sleeping and working hold maximum portion of time although the percentage of going out with friends/family has reduced considerably. Dropping from 19% to 6%, it has clearly highlighted how concerning it has become the way working individuals invest their time.
However, it should not be forgotten that relaxing at home and planning sports have increased slightly which can be categorised into a positive affect on the society. One must also consider how time required to travel to work has subtly increased from 2% to 7%.
Overall, the two charts show similar time consumption trends except in working, sleeping and going out with family and peers.
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 response successfully addresses the main features of the two pie charts, noting key changes such as the significant increase in working time and the decrease in time spent socializing. However, the student includes personal opinions and subjective commentary that are inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report, such as stating that going out less 'has clearly highlighted how concerning it has become' and that increased home relaxation represents a 'positive affect on the society.' While comparisons are made, the data handling lacks precision in places, and the inclusion of evaluative judgments pulls the overall task response down.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is organized into four paragraphs, providing an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. There is a logical progression of ideas, moving from general similarities to specific activity comparisons. Cohesive devices such as 'In 1958', 'In 2008', 'However', and 'Overall' are used to structure the text. However, paragraphing is somewhat disjointed, and referencing occasionally feels mechanical. Furthermore, the inclusion of subjective evaluation disrupts the objective, cohesive flow expected in an academic report.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate the basic trends in the charts, using terms such as 'maximum portion', 'reduced considerably', and 'subtly increased'. However, there is a noticeable spelling error ('acitivites' instead of 'activities') and an awkward lexical choice ('planning sports' instead of 'playing sports'). The use of evaluative vocabulary ('concerning', 'positive affect') reflects a misunderstanding of the objective tone required for Academic Task 1, limiting the lexical score to a Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including participial phrases ('Dropping from 19% to 6%') and subordinate clauses. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'how concerning it has become the way working individuals invest their time' and the misspelling/word choice mix-ups. Despite these errors, the sentences are generally understandable and communication is not severely impeded. Control over complex structures is somewhat inconsistent.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.