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)

These charts illustrated the data of adults who they spent their time in 1958 and in 2008.

Overall, this chart showed the data of adults how much they spent time with their family/friends, playing sports, in working, relaxing at home, sleeping, traveling to work.

Looking at the details, in 1958 individuals usually spent 19% of their time going out with family/ friends and this number decreased to only 6% in 2008. They usually spent 33% of their time in working which increased upto 42% in 2008. Out of their total time they spent 8% relaxing at home in 1958 while in 2008 this number raised upto 13%.

Secondly, They spent around 32% of their time in sleeping in 1958 which decreased to 25% in 2008. The thing in which they spent their least time in 1958 was travelling to work but in 2008 it increased upto 7%. And lastly the percentage of time they spent on playing sports remained almost same in both charts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between the two years, 1958 and 2008. For instance, the student correctly notes the decline in time spent going out with friends and family from 19% to 6%, and the rise in working hours from 33% to 42%. However, some parts of the response are more fully developed than others, which keeps the task achievement at the current level. While key categories like working and sleeping are highlighted, the overview is repetitive and mechanically lists features without synthesizing the broader shifts effectively. Furthermore, the sport category is miscalculated slightly or stated vaguely as 'remained almost same', omitting that it was entirely absent or unmeasured in 1958 based on the visual data. Overall, the information provided is relevant and accurate enough to meet the core requirements, but lacks the extension and precise synthesis needed for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible structure, utilizing an introductory statement, an overview paragraph, and body details. However, progression is somewhat mechanical due to repetitive transitional phrasing and formulaic sentence openings such as 'Looking at the details' and 'Secondly'. Cohesive devices are occasionally faulty or repetitive, and referencing can be imprecise, such as using vague pronouns ('The thing in which they spent their least time') that detract from the natural flow of ideas. Paragraphing is present, but the logical links between sentences within paragraphs could be managed more skillfully to ensure a smoother, more unified progression of information throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate to accomplish the task, demonstrating a sufficient range for communicating basic data trends such as 'increased', 'decreased', and 'percentage'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary and phrasing, but encounters occasional inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'spent their time in working' instead of 'working' or 'spent time in sleeping'. Spelling is generally acceptable and does not impede communication, but instances of awkward word formation and repetitive reliance on basic descriptors prevent the writing from achieving a more precise and flexible lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'adults who they spent their time in 1958'. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward structural interference, particularly redundant pronouns ('adults who they spent') and incorrect prepositional usage ('spent their time in working' or 'raised upto 13%', where 'up to' should be separate and 'rose' is the correct past tense). Punctuation and tense control are generally functional, but errors in verb forms and agreement occasionally surface. These errors rarely impede communication, but they persist frequently enough to reflect a mixed level of grammatical control.

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.