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 charts illustrates difference between the work-life balance of adults from different time periods. First one is about 1958 and the second one gives information about the lifes of adults in 2008.

Overall both of the pie charts cover 6 daily routine activities of adults. It makes a comparison between time given to each activity by the individuals everyday. The information includes working hours, sleeping time, relaxation at home, time given to friends and family and utilisation of time in travelling for work.

The information shows a visible difference in the daily routine of adults from both of the years. In 1958 adults had less working hours in a day with only spending 33% out of 24 hours at work, while adults in 2008 have to spend 42% of the whole day at work. Moreover sleeping hours have also reduced from 32% to 25%. However the relaxation time at home is where the 2008 adults surpass 1958 giving them more time at home to relax. Other than this the percentage of going out with friends have also decreased 13%.

In conclusion adults in 1958 had less work and more availability for friends and family, whereas adults in 2008 prefer to relax at home rather than going out with the related ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses the main features of the two pie charts well, providing a clear overview and making relevant comparisons between 1958 and 2008. Key data points, such as the increase in working hours (from 33% to 42%) and the decrease in sleeping time (from 32% to 25%), are correctly reported. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data interpretation, such as stating that 'going out with friends have also decreased 13%' (it decreased from 19% to 6%, which is a drop of 13 percentage points, but the phrasing is slightly confusing) and omitting the newly introduced category of playing sports in 2008. Despite these minor omissions, the response successfully covers all parts of the task and presents a clear general picture.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overall statement, a detailed body paragraph, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'Moreover', 'However', and 'In conclusion'. However, paragraphing could be improved by separating the detailed comparisons into two distinct body paragraphs rather than clumping all the data comparisons into one long paragraph. Additionally, referencing is sometimes slightly mechanical or imprecise, as seen in phrases like 'First one is about 1958 and the second one gives information...', which prevents the text from achieving a higher band score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully employing terms related to daily routines and time allocation, such as 'work-life balance', 'utilising of time', and 'relaxation time at home'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but also noticeable lexical and collocational inaccuracies, such as 'lifes' instead of 'lives', 'utilising of time in travelling' instead of 'time spent commuting', and 'the related ones' instead of 'loved ones' or 'family and friends'. These errors do not impede communication but restrict the score to a solid Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses using 'while' and 'whereas'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation oversights throughout the text. For instance, the opening sentence lacks a verb ('The pie charts illustrates' should be 'illustrate'), and there is a missing comma in compound or introductory structures. Subject-verb agreement is occasionally flawed, such as 'percentage of going out with friends have' instead of 'has'. While these errors rarely impede overall comprehension, their frequency prevents the response from reaching Band 7.

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

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