Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-09

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 folowing pie chart is showing difference between time spent by adults in 1958 and 2008.

The most time seems to be devoted to work followed by sleep. While less time is seen to be given to travelling to work followed by playing sports.

It seems like that the time given to work has increased over the years. In 1958, only 33% of the time was given to the work while 32% was left for sleep. Even the time for relaxing is also seen to have been increased over the years. Adults gave only 8% time to ralaxing in 1958 while in 2008, they give 13% time to relaxing.

On the contrary, the adults prefered traveling more in the past which is now seen to be a subject to a decrease. In 1958 adults gave 19% time to friends but in 2008 it has significantly decreased to 6%. Additionally, there seems to be a decrease in time given to sleep which was 32% by 1958 and dropped to 25% in 2008.

This concludes that adults spend more time at work and relaxing now while less to sleep .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important patterns, including the rise in working time from 33% to 42%, the fall in sleeping time from 32% to 25%, and the increase in relaxing at home. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not clearly highlight the sharp decline in going out with friends or family (19% to 6%), and it omits the 2008 figure for travelling and the sports category. There is also a factual misreading in “adults prefered traveling more in the past”: travel to work rose from 2% to 7%, while the 19% figure refers to going out with friends or family. The final summary mentions only work, relaxing and sleep. A more complete overview and accurate comparisons would make the key features clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a brief overview, comparisons in the body, and a concluding sentence. The ideas are generally grouped by increases and decreases, which helps the reader follow the account. However, progression is not always clear because the overview is brief and the body shifts between categories without consistently distinguishing them. For example, “traveling more in the past” is followed by the friends figure, making the relationship between the two activities confusing. Linking phrases such as “On the contrary” and “Additionally” provide some connection, but the contrast marker is not appropriate for the comparison being made. Organise the details into clearer groups and use references that make each activity unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “increased,” “decreased,” “devoted,” and “dropped,” so the main trends are usually understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or awkward for this task. “Time was given to the work” is less natural than “time was spent working,” while “a subject to a decrease” is an unclear way to describe a falling figure. The phrase “prefered traveling more” also misrepresents the data and uses an unsuitable expression for reporting percentages. Spelling errors such as “folowing,” “ralaxing,” and “prefered” are noticeable. Aim for precise activity labels and standard chart-reporting collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including contrasts with “while” and “On the contrary,” and most of the meaning can be followed. However, sentence structures are often awkward or inaccurate. For example, “The folowing pie chart is showing difference” has problems with article use and tense, and “Adults gave only 8% time” is missing a grammatical determiner before “time.” The sentence beginning “While less time is seen…” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. There are also inconsistent tense choices, as in “they give 13%” when describing the 2008 chart alongside past-tense reporting. Practise complete sentences and consistent past-tense forms when describing the two years.

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

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