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 pie charts compare the time which adults spend on particular activity in 1958, and 2008.

Overall, in 1958 mostly people spend their time on working and sleeping whereas, in 2008, these activity occured slightly change but remain higher in 2008, these are working and sleeping.

To begin with, in 1958, people spend their much time on working which is 33% and followd by sleeping and going out with friends and family which is 32% and 19%. People like to spend less time in travelling to work which is 2%.

Furthermore, in 2008, people spend most of time on working which is around half of total around 42% and people also spend much time on sleeping which is 25%. In 2008, people is spending more time on relaxing at home and traveling to work which is 13% and 7%. In 2008, people like to spend less time in going out with friends and family which is 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two largest categories in each year and report several accurate figures, including working at 33% and 42%, sleeping at 32% and 25%, and travel to work at 2% and 7%. However, the overview is unclear: saying the activities “occurred slightly change but remain higher in 2008” does not accurately summarise the contrasting trends. Working rose, while sleeping and going out with friends or family fell substantially; the latter dropped from 19% to 6%. You also omit playing sports, which accounted for 7% in 2008, and do not clearly compare the years across the response. A more precise overview and fuller selection of key changes would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 1958 and 2008. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and transitions such as “To begin with” and “Furthermore” help signal the shift between years. However, the progression is partly mechanical, with repeated openings such as “In 2008,” and the overview does not clearly prepare the reader for the details that follow. The comparison would be easier to follow if related categories were grouped across both years—for example, showing the rise in working alongside the falls in sleeping and socialising. Clearer links between sentences and less repetition would strengthen the organisation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to identify the activities and communicate the main figures, using terms such as “working,” “sleeping,” and “travelling to work.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are inaccurate or awkward, including “spend their much time,” “most of time,” and “these activity occurred slightly change.” Repeated use of “spend time” and “people like to” also makes the report sound repetitive and less suited to describing chart data. Choose more precise reporting language, such as “accounted for,” “rose,” and “declined,” and check spelling in words such as “followd.” These improvements would make comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies mainly on simple sentence patterns, with limited control of more complex structures. Errors occur frequently in verb forms and agreement: “people spend” is used for past data, “these activity occurred,” and “people is spending” do not match their subjects or the time period. Articles and sentence construction are also problematic in phrases such as “spend their much time” and “most of time.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning less clear, although the figures and activity labels remain understandable. Practise using the past simple consistently for both years and build accurate comparison sentences, for example, “Working accounted for 33% in 1958, rising to 42% in 2008.”

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

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