Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-01

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 chart illustrates about the percentages of the day spent by the working adults on the various activities.

Overall, it is crystal clear that in the both years the adults had spent max of the time on working and least used up on travelling to work. The data had been calibrated into proportion.

At a fleeting glance, in the initial year 1958 adults had spent their most of the time on working discovered as 33% which is almost similar as time drained out by them on sleeping. They prefers to be go out with friends / family which had taken 19% of their day and it was twice of the time they spent on it despite relaxing at home. They spent only 2% of their day while travelling to work.

Moving further, in the 2008 year the data discovered that adults used to spend 42% of their day on working as compared to 1958 year which is followed by sleeping discovered as 25%. They used their 13% of the day while relaxing at home. The two activities like playing sports and travelling to work they both had taken 7% of day which is almost similar as time used up by them on going out with friends / family.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main features of the two pie charts, noting the highest and lowest categories for both years such as working at 33% in 1958 and rising to 42% in 2008. However, the task is only partially addressed because some comparisons are inaccurate or confused. For instance, the student states that going out with friends at 19% in 1958 was 'twice of the time they spent on it despite relaxing at home,' which misinterprets the 8% figure for relaxing. Furthermore, some ideas are under-developed, and the overview contains awkward phrasing rather than a clear, concise summary of overarching trends. To reach a higher band, all data comparisons must be precise and fully supported by accurate reporting of the visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview into body paragraphs detailing 1958 and 2008 respectively. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is occasionally unclear. Transitional phrases such as 'At a fleeting glance' and 'Moving further' are used, but referencing words like 'it' in expressions such as 'twice of the time they spent on it' create ambiguity about which activity is being referenced. Paragraphing is present, but within paragraphs, the flow is disrupted by clunky transitions. To improve, the student should ensure that cohesive devices are used more naturally and that referents point unambiguously to their intended subjects to enhance the logical progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate vocabulary range to communicate the basic meaning of the charts, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'calibrated' and 'proportion'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form throughout the text. Examples include 'max of the time', 'least used up on', 'time drained out by', and 'data discovered that', which sound unnatural and unidiomatic. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the response. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to use vocabulary more naturally and precisely, avoiding awkward phrasing and ensuring correct collocations for describing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like relative clauses and comparisons. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in article usage, prepositions, and verb forms that cause some difficulty for the reader. Examples include 'illustrates about the percentages', 'in the both years', 'adults had spent max of the time on working', 'They prefers to be go out', and 'in the 2008 year'. Punctuation and verb tense consistency also need attention, such as mixing past and present tenses inappropriately for historical chart data. To progress further, the writer must reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors and demonstrate better control over complex sentence structures and prepositions.

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

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