Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-07

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 illustrate ratios of the day sept by working adults on various activities in a particular country in the years 1958 and 2008.

Overall, spent mostly in working in both years and on other hand travelling to work and going out with friends are in small ratio.

In the year 1958 the major portion was covered by working with 33% is almost equal to sum of travelling to work and sleeping. Similarly, playing sports and relaxing at home are also nearly same percentages with 6% and 8%. Going to out with friends or family is nearly one-fifth of total part.

One other hand, In the year 2008 working was become into 42%. Travelling to work increased nearly tries and equal to playing sports 7%. Sleeping was decreased to one-fourth of total and going out with friends was decreased 13% while relaxing at home reached to 13% at that period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important patterns, especially the rise in working time from 33% to 42%, the fall in sleeping from 32% to 25%, and the sharp decline in socialising from 19% to 6%. The overview also notes that work takes the largest share in both years. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: in 1958, sports is not shown, and the 33% working figure is not almost equal to sleeping plus travel (34%). The statement that socialising fell by 13% confuses the 2008 value of 6% with the size of the decrease; it fell by 13 percentage points. The overview also overlooks the new sports category in 2008. More precise comparisons and a clearer account of the main changes would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two years. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and phrases such as “Similarly” and “One other hand” attempt to connect ideas. However, the overview is compressed and its comparisons are not always clear, while the year-by-year approach leads to some isolated figures rather than direct comparisons between years. Linking expressions are sometimes inaccurate or mechanical, and “One other hand” is repeated in place of a correctly formed contrast. Grouping the largest increases and decreases together, then using clearer transitions such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile,” would create a more consistent progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “working,” “travelling to work,” “sleeping,” and “going out with friends or family,” so the reader can generally identify the activities being compared. However, the range of reporting language is limited, and several word choices or collocations are unnatural: “ratios of the day,” “major portion was covered by working,” and “small ratio” do not express the chart information naturally. There are also word-form or spelling problems, such as “sept” and “tries,” which make parts of the description harder to interpret. Use standard terms such as “proportion,” “accounted for,” and “increased threefold,” and vary the verbs used to describe changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, and the reader can understand the broad message. However, sentence structures are often incomplete or inaccurately formed. For example, “Overall, spent mostly in working” has no clear subject, while “working was become into 42%” combines verb forms incorrectly. In “with 33% is almost equal,” the clause structure is also faulty. Articles, prepositions, and tense choices need more consistent control, as in “in small ratio” and “at that period.” These errors sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. Practise complete subject–verb sentences and use reliable comparison patterns, such as “Work accounted for 33%, compared with 42% in 2008.”

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

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