Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-08

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 circular chart illustrates how employed adults in a specific country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.

Looking at the overall picture, two pie charts of different time period depicts the percentage of allocation of time in working adults. Moreover, the highest distribution of time in both time period was reported in working. Whereas the least time spent by an occupied adult was on travelling to work in 1958 and going out with family in 2008.

Turning to the brief description of the data, sleeping can be observed to be approximately 1/4th of the time spent in a day by an adult. Similarly, in 1958 and 2008, working time was highest among all other categories, at nearly 33% and 42%, respectively. Furthermore, in 2008, playing sports, going out and travelling to work had negligible difference and the lowest one too. Subsequently, on comapring the time spent on going out in the give period of 50 years, it had been cut down 3 times. While travelling to work depicted a rise in spending time, at about 2% to 7%, approximately trippled.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern that working took the largest share in both years, and you accurately report its rise from 33% to 42%. You also note the sharp fall in going out and the increase in commuting. However, some key details are missing or unclear: sleeping fell from 32% to 25%, but describing it as “approximately 1/4th” does not compare the two years, and the 2008 sports figure of 7% is not stated. The claim that sports, going out and commuting had “negligible difference” overlooks that going out was 6%, while the other two were 7%. Develop the overview with the major rises and falls, and report the figures more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and a paragraph of selected details. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the final paragraph is uneven: sleeping is mentioned without a clear comparison, then working is repeated from the overview, followed by several other categories. Linking words such as “Moreover,” “Furthermore,” and “Subsequently” are used, but some feel mechanical or do not clearly show the relationship between ideas. The sentence beginning “Whereas” is also left as a fragment, and “While travelling…” is not smoothly connected to the preceding point. Group the main increases together and the decreases together, and use clearer links between comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “distribution,” “rise,” and “cut down,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There is also an attempt to vary wording through phrases such as “employed adults” and “occupied adult.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing data: “highest distribution of time … was reported in working,” “negligible difference,” and “cut down 3 times.” “Brief description of the data” is also an awkward way to introduce the detail paragraph. Spelling errors such as “comapring,” “give,” and “trippled” reduce accuracy. Prefer standard collocations such as “the largest share was spent working,” “similar proportions,” and “fell to one-third of its former level,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons and subordinate clauses, and the main message can usually be followed. Some grammatical errors remain, however. “Two pie charts … depicts” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “in both time period” needs a plural noun and article. “Whereas the least time spent…” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, and “it had been cut down 3 times” uses an unsuitable tense and construction for a completed comparison between two years. There are also awkward sentence patterns in “sleeping can be observed to be approximately 1/4th of the time spent.” Aim for direct, complete sentences, maintain subject–verb agreement, and use the past simple consistently when reporting the chart’s figures.

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

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